The Secret of Lady Whistledown: How Did Penelope Pull That Stunt?

Summary

• Penelope/Lady Whistledown's arc is one of the most interesting in Bridgerton.
• Pen has taken many precautions to protect her true identity.
• That didn't stop Eloise from uncovering the truth, causing a serious conflict between the friends.

As May slowly approaches, Bridgerton fans have only one thing on their minds. Season 3 of the popular Netflix period drama will premiere in two months, exploring the love story of Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington and her relationship with Eloise after their big fall out in Season 2. Needless to say, the audience is very excited.

Although she's not part of the Bridgerton family (yet), Penelope has been one of the show's absolute fan favorites since it premiered in 2020. Thanks to her alter ego, Lady Whistledown, who provides the Ton with the juiciest gossip, Pen's storyline is one of the most compelling in the entire Netflix drama. But as intriguing as the Lady Whistledown plot is, how is it possible?

A Simple Persona

Lady Whistledown was introduced at the very beginning of the series, at the start of the 1813 social season. Feeling at odds with the rest of the Ton, Penelope sought a way to gain power over them and came up with the idea of writing a gossip column, which she was advised to do by her father's lawyer in Julia Quinn's novels.

In her writings, Lady Whistledown, voiced by the legendary Dame Julie Andrews, discussed the latest news from the court, spread gossip, and blasted some people with scathing criticism. Even Queen Charlotte herself wasn't spared. But how did Penelope manage to operate without anyone knowing?

During Season 1, Pen used her free time in the city to transform herself into a plain-looking servant girl who delivered Lady Whistledown's writings to the publisher so that even he didn't know the author's true identity. Penelope even changed her accent to Irish to create an additional smokescreen between her and her character. Amusingly, Nicola Coughlan, who plays her, is Irish and it was probably her real brogue.

Accomplice Madame Delacroix

As the Ton became obsessed with Lady Whistledown and the Queen launched a hunt for her, Penelope found it increasingly difficult to get her writings to the publisher. So in the second season, she found an accomplice in Madame Genevieve Delacroix.

Penelope would leave her latest material with Delacroix, whom she often visited with her family, as did the rest of the female high society. Genevieve would sew Lady Whistledown's writings into dresses, which were then sent to the publisher to avoid detection. In return, Madame Delacroix's business received valuable publicity from Whistledown.

Now that Eloise has discovered Lady Whistledown's true identity, the plot is about to get more interesting. Season 3 is scheduled to premiere on May 16.