The Bridgerton Showrunner Teases Spinoff Idea For Queen Charlotte’s Son

Francesca and Michaela’s Bridgerton love story officially drops next year — and showrunner Jess Brownell may be looking even further ahead as she charts the future of the ton.

In a recent appearance on Netflix’s Suite 305 with Lele Pons, Brownell was asked whether viewers might learn more about Queen Charlotte’s children.

“I’m really interested in that, for sure,” Brownell said. “I think the real Prince Regent, his story is fascinating. He was very unlikable in real life, and he had mistresses left and right. I think that’s a really interesting spinoff — maybe not about him, but we could do more with him and more with the daughters.”

Brownell also teased that someone from the royal family will be “more featured” in Bridgerton Season 5, but couldn’t reveal who just yet.

Of course, viewers previously met some of the royal brood in Queen Charlotte. The Prince Regent Brownell refers to is Charlotte’s eldest son, George, who would become King George IV. He’s actually the one to whom Charlotte says her iconic line “Sorrows, sorrows, prayers,” after the death of his daughter and grandson in childbirth.

Given Bridgerton’s continued focus on Queen Charlotte and her personal life — with fans wondering whether the show will feature the real-life death of her husband in 1820 — it’s natural to explore more of her family in Season 5 and (just maybe!) a potential spinoff. And who better to follow than the Prince Regent, namesake of the Regency period so beloved by romance fans?

It’s not the only offshoot that has been discussed by the Bridgerton higher-ups. Shonda Rhimes has voiced her interest in a potential spinoff following young Violet, recently telling Today’s Craig Melvin on his Glass Half Full podcast: “I’ve always said that I thought if we were gonna do something like that, Violet would be a great person to tell the story about — the Bridgerton mom. So yeah, that’s a possibility.”

And Ruth Gemmell (who plays the matriarch) would be on board, too. Chatting with Bustle about the possibility earlier this year, she shared: “Yes, definitely. In terms of Julia [Quinn]’s books, there are actually nine books, and [in] the ninth one, [The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After], there’s a [Violet] backstory, some of which we’ve already seen — little snippets of her and Edmund and his death. But it’s a lovely story. I guess we’re in their hands, aren’t we?”