A big difference between Lady Whistledown’s identity in the book and in the Netflix series

Dear readers, this article contains spoilers for Bridgerton

It’s officially been a week since the second part of the third season of Bridgerton finally hit our screens, and it’s safe to say that we devoured all four episodes in no time.

We were treated to a handful of hot sex scenes, stunning costumes, and all the Polish content we could want, but one of the biggest reveals revolved around the oh-so-elusive Lady Whistledown.

And the latest Bridgerton According to Buzz, fans have noticed a big difference between the identity of the once anonymous gossip columnist in the book and the popular Netflix series.

At the end of season three, Penelope – played by Nicola Coughlan – finally revealed her true identity as Lady Whistledown to her husband after fans speculated whether she would actually tell him everything or keep it a secret.

Of course, she got away with it for a long time because she was largely ignored by the other members of high society.

The third season is based on the fourth novel by author Julia Quinn. Bridgerton Book, A romance with Mister Bridgerton and it’s clear that there’s quite a big difference between the series and the novel.

Penelope revealed herself as Lady Whistledown in the final episode of the third season. (Netflix)

So the book is set a whole decade after the stars of the previous book – Simone Ashley, who played Kate Sharma, and Jonathan Bailey, who plays Anthony Bridgerton – tied the knot in 1824.

Furthermore, at this point in the series, absolutely no one (including the reader) knows that Pen is actually Lady Whistledown—something that doesn’t come to light until about halfway through the fourth book.

However, as we all know, Netflix viewers were already privy to the biggest secret of the Regency era in the first season.

Pen was 19 in the series, but 28 in the book. (Netflix)

Still, it was exciting to see how the story unfolds dramatically in the very last moments of the third season, when the gossip writer finishes her final monologue while the narrator’s voice changes from Julie Andrews to Nicola,

She signs the gossip column with “Penelope Bridgerton” instead of her original pseudonym, Lady Whistledown.

Another key difference that readers of the book will notice is that Pen is only 19 years old in the series, but in the book he is almost a decade older, at 28.

Well, regardless of the differences, it is clear that we are all more than excited for Season 4 to finally hit our screens in 2026!

Bridgerton Season three is currently available to stream on Netflix.