Ever since the Netflix original series, Bridgerton hit our screens in late 2020 and took the internet by storm with its steamy love stories, insanely attractive cast, and viral instrumental covers of popular pop songs, there’s something missing that many have been asking for: representation of the LGBTQ+ community in the story. 

It could be argued that the representation has been in the subplot of the subplot introduced in Benedict Birdgerton’s (Luke Thompson) arc in Season 1 when the latter walks in on his friend having sex with another man at a party; or in the openly LGBTQ+ cast members who play leading roles in the show’s first two seasons, like Jonathan Bailey, who plays Anthony Bridgerton, or Golda Rosheuvel who plays Regency-Era Queen Charlotte. But we have to be honest and just tell it like it is… that’s not enough and never will be – queer stories need to be told as well.

In a show that focuses heavily on the idea of marriage, finding true love and companionship (even through arranged marriages), not having queer couples hiding and fighting anonymously even to exist and love who they want to love in the time the show takes place is just unrealistic. Queer people have been around since the beginning of time and the lack of LGBTQ+ stories in the Bridgerton TV universe has felt like queer erasure.

Fortunately for the Shondaland successful franchise, the prequel spin-off, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, finally introduced the first (and hopefully not the last) queer romance into the Bridgerton universe with a beautiful yet heartbreaking love story that had us glued to our seats from start to finish.

The Queen and the King’s right-hand men

While in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, the romance between the young Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio) and King George III (Corey Mylchreest) takes center stage (duh), what happens between their respective right-hand men comes as a close second and we absolutely loved that.

Queens and Kings need footmen and staff to serve them in their many palaces and estates, and as the story of Queen Charlotte and King George unfolds, we’re quickly introduced to Brimsley (Sam Clemmett) and Reynolds (Freddie Dennis), the Queen and King’s footmen. Brimsley and Reynolds act as something of a personal attendant to Their Majesties and their duty is to be by their sides (or five steps behind them anyway) at all times.

They are in charge of everything from keeping track of Their Majesties’ needs and wishes, to making sure the various households adhere to courtly protocols and rules so that the estates can run smoothly. But there’s more to them than their demanding jobs, and in a very Bridgerton way (aka with a steamy sex scene), we quickly learn that these two are in a romantic relationship!

Yes, you read that right, folks. Being the right-hand men to His and Her Majesty isn’t the only thing that ties Brimsley and Reynolds together, the two are very much in love. *screams*

But although they are established as a stable couple who knows how to preserve and protect what they have, this doesn’t come without complications. First, because they live in Britain in 1761, where homosexuality was still punishable by hanging, so their relationship is a secret and only exists behind closed doors. And while it hurts to see them have to hide what they feel, we understand their situation. And second, because what happens to the Queen and the King at the beginning of their marriage definitely takes a toll on their relationship.

We don’t want to spoil everything that happens and the roles both Brimsley and Reynolds play in helping the Queen and King become the couple they are in the future, but suffice it to say, they are the MVPs of that love story. Through plots and schemes that they run in the background, they manage to achieve what seemed impossible and help their Majesties to understand and accept each other, but as we said, at the cost of some fights and misunderstandings between them. Nothing to worry about, but still.

We can’t deny that it was a pleasant surprise to see that despite all the hardships these two have to endure throughout the six episodes that comprise the mini-series, their love story remained pure and genuine. And as we’ve been saying, we loved every bit of it, we truly did. That scene they share in the bathtub where they reflect on how, thanks to their jobs, they will have a chance to grow old together while serving Their Majesties and being in the same palaces is one of the sweetest moments we’ve seen in the entire franchise so far. 

Watching them hide in the bushes to dance to an instrumental version of the late Whitney Houston’s hit ‘I Will Always Love You’ at the ball Their Majesties throw at the end of episode six is, in our humble opinion, the icing on the rainbow cake, even if seconds later they completely break our hearts with that transition to the future (ie 1817) with old Brimsley (James Fleet) dancing to the same song but this time by himself.

As we already said, queer stories deserve to be told and although this one definitely broke our hearts into a thousand pieces and left us crying for hours (we’re still wondering what happened to old Reynolds), it was still beautiful.

LGBTQ+ representation in the Bridgerton universe was long overdue, so what they did with Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story was a good starting point. Whether more LGBTQ+ characters will get to shine on the main show remains to be seen. But if the general reaction to Brimsley and Reynolds (Breynolds for the internet) is anything to go by, then we think it’s safe to say there’s hope. But only time will tell.

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All six episodes of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story are available to stream on Netflix now. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all queer stuff!