This Bridgerton matriarch’s journey shows how love and loss shape every story in Bridgerton’s world of romance and family.
Every romance in the Bridgerton series, no matter how joyful, carries grief, fear, or sacrifice, and the reason begins with one character: Lady Violet Bridgerton (played by Ruth Gemmell). Violet’s life defines how love works in Bridgerton.
Her husband, Edmund Bridgerton, died suddenly while she was pregnant with their youngest child. The loss that shattered her. Their names also reinforce the idea. Violet is a flower associated with devotion and mourning, and Edmund, a name linked to protection and sacrifice. Together, they establish the emotional foundation of Bridgerton: love is tender, but loss is permanent.
Every Bridgerton sibling follows this pattern. Romance in Bridgerton always comes layered with pain because Violet raised her children to believe love is worth that cost. She believes that a marriage rooted in love fosters respect, and respect is worth the freedom. Violet is not just the family matriarch. And this theory proves she is the emotional algorithm that shapes every romantic outcome in the series.
Why Does Violet Bridgerton Need a Bridgerton Spinoff?
Lady Violet is the mother of eight children: Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth. Unlike the Bridgerton siblings, Violet never gets a season of her own. Her great love with Edmund exists only through memory and grief. Yet it defines the emotional rules every season follows. A Violet-centered spinoff would show how that young love formed from friendship to marriage.
As for sources, Julia Quinn hadn’t written any book on Violet and Edmund, but there is a section called Violet in Bloom in the Bridgerton: Happily Ever After book. Although it’s not solely focused on their romance. Season 3 also hints at her romance with Marcus Anderson; however, that was not a whirlwind romance as with Edmund. We are not sure the future series will explore that.
Shonda Rhimes has openly expressed interest in Violet’s past. While promoting Queen Charlotte, Rhimes expressed her interest in Violet’s story. She told Hello Magazine:
There’s no plan to explore anybody in particular. I was just doing this because I was so passionate about the subject…Although in writing, it got very interested in Violet’s story. So we’ll see.
In another interview with Variety, before the Bridgerton season 3 premiere, she repeats her interest once again, saying:
I do have inklings of what another story could be, but I also don’t know. I just want it to be really good if we’re going to tell it.
Netflix has already proven this model works. Queen Charlotte succeeded by telling a complete love story with a known ending. A Violet prequel would not disappoint, while deepening the meaning of every romance in the main series.
Ruth Gemmell on Playing Violet Bridgerton
Ruth Gemmell, who plays Violet, has described the role as a privilege. In a 2024 Vanity Fair interview, she said,
It’s a real privilege to play Violet because I have all nine novels, and I know what kind of linchpin she is.
Gemmell also noted that before this Netflix series, she often played negative characters, but Bridgerton was quite an experience for her.
I have only ever played really sh*t mums or murderers, so it was quite nice to be someone of some merit for a change. I wish I was like Violet and nothing like her, other than the love for those children.
She explained that Violet often knows the truth before her children do and waits for them to catch up. For instance, she was the one who encouraged Colin to approach Penelope. You can also see her standing in the background when Colin approached Penelope across the ballroom. That quiet observation is why Violet appears in the background of key scenes, guiding love stories without forcing them.
Love in Bridgerton always comes with pain because Violet Bridgerton taught her children that it should.
Should Netflix give Violet Bridgerton the prequel that started it all? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Bridgerton Seasons 1-3 are available to stream, and Season 4 is premiering on January 29, 2026, on Netflix (US).
