Goodbye to the Duke of Hastings

The second season of Bridgerton will lack the return of Simon the Duke of Hastings, played by Regé-Jean Page, shocking fans. 

By Remy Zerber 
Culture Columnist 

The hit series on Netflix, Bridgerton, had a very successful first season. Bridgerton is based on the bestselling book series of the same name by Julia Quinn. The series is about eight children who live in Regency-era England. Each book follows a different sibling as they try to find love. Season one and book one of the series are both about Daphne’s relationship with Simon, the Duke of Hastings. Phoebe Dynover and Regé-Jean Page play Daphne and Simon in the first season of the show and are loved by fans. As fans excitedly await the second season, they were informed that Regé-Jean Page will not be returning for season two. 

Fans and celebs had two different types of reactions to the news. In reaction to the news, Kim Kardashian tweeted, “Wait WHAT?!!!” Another fan who was outraged said, “There better be a real good reason for Regé-Jean not coming back to Bridgerton! This news really ruined my morning!”A fan reacted to the news and said, “I mean the next season is about the next Bridgerton sibling…”  Fans have mixed feelings about this news. Some fans are very disappointed vowing to no longer watch the series, while others are upset but understand the omission. 

The character Simon is not a big part of the second book of the Bridgerton series leaving it unnecessary for Regé-Jean Page to return for season two. Book two is about Anthony Bridgerton’s quest to find a wife focusing mostly on him. In the first book/season Simon is Daphne’s love interest so it makes sense that he had a big part. He does not have a big part in Anthony’s story so it makes sense that he would be written out of the script to save time.  

However, he is Daphne’s husband and Anthony’s brother-in-law so fans expected that he would be part of the story. It looks like fans are going to have to get used to a character getting written out of the script because each book in the series is about a different Bridgerton sibling so not all the same characters will be part of the story. 

Regé-Jean Page will be missed by fans when season two of Bridgerton airs but he and his character, Simon, will always be a part of the show, whether Page is on stage or not. The story of Page’s departure from the show had a mixed reaction from fans and even celebrities. Some fans and celebrities were disappointed but they understood Netflix’s decision, while others were just angry and shocked. Netflix’s decision to write Simon out of the script for season two is understandable, considering the second book of the Bridgerton series is about Anthony Bridgerton’s love life. Phoebe Dynover and Regé-Jean Page are the male and female leads of Bridgerton in season one but it looks like there will be two new leads in season two because it was announced that Regé-Jean Page will be leaving the show.  There will be five new cast members in total. The new members are Charithra Chandran, Shelley Conn from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Calam Lynch From Dunkirk, Derry Girls, Rupert Young from The White Queen, and Simone Ashley from Sex Education. Simone Ashley will play Anthony’s love interest. Season two is going to be a great season with all the new characters. Simone Ashley will play Kate Sharma. Although Regé-Jean Page will be missed, fans are getting excited about the new cast members. They are going to add a lot to the story of the Bridgertons!