Queen Charlotte's King George Story Makes Lady Whistledown Way Worse

It looks like the Shondaland creators have backed themselves into a corner with Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story and its take on the Lady Whistledown/Penelope Featherington storyline.

Even before the prequel series, fans had issues with Penelope's infamous gossip column, but in light of King George's heartbreaking story, she comes off as nothing short of a bully.

Queen Charlotte showed how George's mental illness began and progressed, making it difficult for him to fulfill his duties to the crown and his family. However, George went on to become a worthy king, husband, and father — all thanks to his determination, as well as the love and support his wife gave to him. This storyline in the prequel was truly emotional and touching, whereas the way Lady Whistledown mocked the King in her column was simply mean and stony-hearted.

From the very first season of Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte comes across as harsh and overly preoccupied with matters of the ton. She seems obsessed with Lady Whistledown's column and unveiling the true identity behind the enigmatic writer. Before the prequel, this could have been attributed to her eccentricities and general boredom, but now, the reason behind her behavior in Bridgerton has been uncovered, and this also illuminates Penelope's cruelty.

After the illness has finally taken its toll on her husband, Charlotte must feel extremely protective of George and his legacy. It can't be easy for her to read Lady Whistledown's writings, which mock him and his illness and take a jab at herself as well. But unfortunately, Penelope doesn't think twice before publishing things like those found in Season 1.

'And the drawing room at Bridgerton House currently appears to be emptier than the muddled head of her dearest King George,' she writes.

Wow. That is nasty. And this is not the only example — mocking the royal family seems to be a habit of the scandalous author, which makes her so much harder to redeem. If the Marina and Eloise scandals just made Penelope seem flawed and prone to bad decisions, using King's mental illness as a point of ridicule draws a hard line for many Bridgerverse fans.

Of course, when Penelope started writing her column, she was still a teenager with all the cleverness and arrogance of a child, but none of the wisdom to temper it all. However, in the eyes of many viewers, her words and actions made her unworthy of a happy ending in the arms of the charming Colin Bridgerton.

Will Penelope be able to redeem herself as the protagonist of the upcoming Season 3? That's the big question.