What happened to Daphne in ‘Bridgerton?’

As the queen’s diamond and the story’s main heroine, Daphne Bridgerton was the key character in the first season of Bridgerton, confidently spearheading the ensemble cast with all of her charm and grace.

Season 2 saw a natural diminishing of her character as other main leads like Anthony and Eloise, not to mention the Sharma sisters, took over the spotlight. By season 3, Daphne is unfortunately nowhere to be found, making fans wonder if we’ll ever see the Duchess of Hastings again.

Well, to answer that question, we’ll have to consult what we know of season 3 and the rest of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton novels.

Daphne’s story so far

Daphne is the debut character of Julia Quinn’s first Bridgerton novel The Duke & I, published all the way back in 2000. In the Netflix adaptation, she is portrayed by Phoebe Dynevor, playing opposite Regé-Jean Page’s Simon Basset. Daphne and Simon fall in love and end up getting married by the end of season 1. They then retreat to the Duke of Hastings’ estate and decide to raise their children there. That doesn’t stop Dynevor from reprising her role in season 2, however, when Daphne makes a trip to the Bridgerton estate to join her family just as Anthony Bridgerton is in the midst of courting a one Miss Edwina Sharma.

Daphne has a supporting role throughout season 2, ending with a last appearance in the finale, “The Viscount Who Loved Me.” But unfortunately for fans of the Duchess, Phoebe Dynevor isn’t coming back as Daphne in season 3, making her retreat to Clyvedon Castle something of a fixed arrangement for the time being.

Will we see Daphne in season 3 and beyond?

Alas, despite Daphne appearing in the fourth novel Romancing Mister Bridgerton (on which season 3 is based) her live-action counterpart is taking a break from the ton’s drama this season. It’s currently unclear whether Dynevor will be back for season 4 and beyond, but just in case you’re curious about Daphne’s role throughout the series, the duchess appears in 6 out of the 8 main novels according to Julia Quinn’s official website:

1. The Duke and I (lead role)
2. The Viscount Who Loved Me (supporting role)
3. An Offer from a Gentleman (appearance)
4. Romancing Mister Bridgerton (appearance)
5. To Sir Phillip, With Love (mentioned only)
6. When He Was Wicked (mentioned only)
7. It’s In His Kiss (appearance)
8. On the Way to the Wedding (appearance)

As for her husband Simon Basset, he only appears in three of the novels: The Duke and I, The Viscount Who Loved Me, and Romancing Mister Bridgerton. Four if you also count Lady Whistledown’s The Wit and Wisdom of Bridgerton. That said, Regé-Jean Page, who received Emmy and SAG Award nominations for his turn as Simon in season 1, has promised that he won’t be returning to the Netflix hit anytime soon.

With nothing to go on but that, we can only assume that Daphne and Simon are having the time of their lives ruling over the Hastings holdings and raising their ultimately five children, only one of whom has been shown in live-action so far. I mean, even if we never see Daphne again, could it get any more fairy tale ending than that?