In the first few episodes of "Bridgerton" season 3, Penelope's age was quickly integrated into the plot. Her mother already thought she would never marry ("It's comforting to know you'll always be here to look after me") and Penelope herself accepted that fate ("I've been pretty much left alone, I've never been kissed" past, and I wasn’t sure if I would be kissed”).
But how old is the youngest Featherington? Or any of the Bridgerton characters? It's all pretty vague, which is even more confusing because they're aged differently in the Netflix show than they are in the Julia Quinn book series.
As discussed below, these differences can have surprising consequences for love stories.
bridgerton characters ages
For the TV show, the most decisive age breakdown comes from the pilot's shooting script, which is available via Deadline . For books, Quinn's website has a handy family tree and birth year. (For comparison, let's assume each character is their age in that year.)
At the beginning of the Netflix show, Anthony is 28 and Kate is 26. At the beginning of their book, The Viscount Who Loved Me , Anthony is 29 and Kate is 20.
Benedict started television shows at the age of 26 and published books at the age of 27.
Colin and Penelope were 19 and 17 respectively at the start of the Netflix show, but were 22 and 17 respectively at the start of the series. Before their book begins, there's a time jump to Penelope's romantic period in her 20s. But on the show, since seasons are about a year apart, she's still a teenager! To quote several viewers on X (formerly Twitter), she should be at the club.
Daphne and Simon were 18 and 28 respectively in the first season of Bridgerton , but are 21 and 29 respectively in The Duke and I.
As for the younger half of the Bridgerton family, their ages are the same in the show and the books. Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth start at 17, 16, 12 and 10 respectively.
How these changes affect the show
When differences exist, they often make sense to the story. For example, Kate's aging helps her and Anthony develop a relationship as equals, an important aspect of their courtship.
While it's hard to fathom Penelope feeling "at her wits' end" at just 19 years old, the huge jump in time can be uncomfortable on screen. Additionally, the fact that Penelope is going through a teenage identity crisis highlights her desire for Colin and the impact her secret gig as Lady Whistle is having on her.
