At the end of Bridgerton season 1, Daphne and Simon welcome a son into their family, but the Daphne Bridgerton children change their original story from the books. Throughout Bridgerton season 1, Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon, the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), are diametrically opposed when it comes to having children; Daphne desperately wants to become a mother and Simon wants his family line to end. The conflict peaks when Daphne tries to force Simon into having a child with her by sexually assaulting him. This happens in both the book and the Netflix series – and Simon is rightfully appalled.

However, the show regretfully glosses over Daphne’s actions and focuses on Simon’s need to let go of a vow he made to his father. As an adult, Simon visited his dying father and made a vow to him on his deathbed: “I will never marry. I will never sire an heir. The Hastings line will die with me.” Once Simon lets go of the pain of his childhood, he admits that he does want a family, thus the Simon and Daphne baby. Simon and Daphne welcome a baby boy in the final moments of Bridgerton’s season 1 finale, however, in the Bridgerton books, Simon and Daphne’s first child is a girl.

Simon and Daphne’s First Child Is Already Different From The Books

Bridgerton is based on a series of romance novels by Julia Quinn, and Simon and Daphne’s love story is told in The Duke and I, the first book in the Bridgerton series. According to Julia Quinn’s website, the Bridgerton family tree shows that the Daphne Bridgerton children include: Amelia, Belinda, Caroline, David, and Edward (via JuliaQuinn.com). This, of course, raises the question of what Simon and Daphne will name their son. In the show, they agree that they should continue the Bridgerton family tradition of naming children alphabetically and pick a name that begins with an “A,” in the end naming him August.

While the answer to “how many children do Daphne and Simon have?” is five, what’s more important is that the order in which these children are born, and their names, vary between the books and the show. In the books, Simon and Daphne do eventually have two sons, but their first three children are girls. Since Bridgerton has already changed many details from the books, it’s impossible to say at this point whether Simon and Daphne will have more children and how many sons or daughters they will have. It might not seem like a big deal today, but during the Regency era, it would have changed their family dynamic immensely.

What Having A Son Means For Simon’s Family Line

Having the first Simon and Daphne baby be a son might seem like a minor detail to change from the books to the Netflix show, but it has significance because of the time in which it is set. During the early 1800s in England, only male heirs could inherit titles or property (with few exceptions), so it was incredibly important for wealthy and noble couples to ‘sire an heir’ in order to keep the title and money in the direct family line as well as care for the women in the family.

This is a prevalent theme in Bridgerton. Anthony struggles to take his rightful place as the Bridgerton heir, Simon constantly tries to shrug off his title, and the Featherington family’s fate becomes dependent on an unknown heir after Lord Featherington dies. The fact that the Daphne Bridgerton children first see a boy sired immediately resolves Simon’s conflict with his father and answers the question of whether the Hastings line will continue. If the Simon and Daphne baby were a girl, Bridgerton might have extended that conflict through multiple seasons.

How Simon And Daphne’s Son Changes Bridgerton Going Forward

If the Simon and Daphne baby had been a daughter, it would have left the possibility open for the young couple to agonize over whether they’d ever produce an heir in future Bridgerton seasons. This is something people have seen time and again in other period romances like Downton Abbey and Pride and Prejudice. Unfortunately, virtually all period romance plots revolve around the heroine’s need to find a suitable husband and produce a son to keep the money in the family. Bridgerton could have chosen to create conflict by leaving Simon and Daphne to wonder if they’d ever sire an heir – but it’s a good thing they didn’t.

While Bridgerton is more historical fantasy than historical drama, there are a few historic plot points that it has stuck with so far, including the system of male inheritance. The show takes place in a somewhat fictionalized Regency-era London where segregation and slavery don’t exist, but women can still be thrown out on the streets for impropriety or forced into marriages with abusive men – both of which Lady Featherington considers doing with Marina Thompson. But having the fate of every character hinge on their biological sex and the biological sex of their children feels tired and outdated to a modern audience.

Bridgerton wants to be a progressive and modern Regency drama, yet that creates some dissonance between Bridgerton’s setting and its themes. However, it also means that Bridgerton isn’t necessarily constrained by historical accuracy and could have chosen to make the first of the Daphne Bridgerton children a daughter – and then shown her defying society and taking her father’s title. Instead, Bridgerton circumvented the issue by having Simon and Daphne ‘sire an heir,’ which breaks the final part of Simon’s vow to his father. Simon’s family line will continue, and his son will inherit the title Duke of Hastings, neatly wrapping up a loose end in season 1’s story.

Daphne & Simon’s Kids Will Likely Never Be Seen

The Daphne Bridgerton children issue will remain a season 1 problem for Bridgerton, as audiences are unlikely to ever see their kids outside of a cameo appearance. While Daphne did come back for a few episodes on Bridgerton season 2, audiences immediately noticed that Regé-Jean Page’s Simon was wholly absent. Daphne explained that Simon was at home, dealing with the affairs of their estate, and her small arc revolved around helping her brother Anthony. Regé-Jean Page famously exited Bridgerton after season 1, for no other reason than he felt his character’s story was over. What this signals is that viewers may never get to meet the Daphne Bridgerton children.

Bridgerton moves on with breakneck speed, choosing to focus each season on one of the Bridgerton kids’ prospective love stories. The Simon and Daphne tale was only meant to last one season, and now that they’re in the “happily ever after” stage of their relationship, it’s unlikely that audiences will see them on the series in a recurring fashion. It’s possible that as Bridgerton progresses, Daphne will return to reveal that she and Simon have had more children or that she’s pregnant. However, it’s doubtful that Daphne will return home with her children in tow as her new primary function seems to be guiding her siblings through their Bridgerton love stories.