Thank god for divorces.

Even though I, like many other people around the world, fell victim to the Bridgerton fever that took over the months of May and June, every time I turn on this show I have to think about how grateful I am to be born in the 21st century.

The balls, the champagne, and the gossip would definitely not be part of my everyday life back in the 1800s, and even if I was lucky enough to be born into the right family, I’d gladly trade it all for the women’s rights we have today. And I bet Simon and Daphne would also be happy to escape their timeline and file for divorce as soon as possible.

Who Is Daphne’s Husband in Bridgerton?

Daphne’s story was the first in both Julia Quinn’s book series and the Netflix adaptation, and it was the one that introduced viewers to the wonderful world of the show. I will always be grateful for that, but it feels like enough time has passed for us all to agree that Simon and Daphne would not last a few years if they knew divorce was a choice.

Divorce was already a legal possibility in Regency England, but that doesn’t mean it was common or even considered an option. Throughout the show’s three seasons, we hear about several unhappy marriages, and yet none of the women trapped in them actually filed for divorce.

Not only was it extremely expensive and took up to several years for Parliament to grant permission, but the divorce would also tarnish the family name and cause a lot of gossip.

Therefore, even after being trapped in an unhappy marriage, Daphne had no choice but to accept her fate, and Simon, who ended up being the victim of sexual assault by his own wife, could not escape the marriage either. If divorce were an option for either of them, they would be separated in a matter of months.

Frankly, I have a hard time believing that the two of them would even get together if it weren’t for all the rules of Regency.

In 2024, if they noticed the spark between them, they could have a one-night stand, or get into a long-term conflict with Anthony for breaking the ‘bro code,’ but at the end of the day, Simon has always been too distant and Daphne too naive to make things work. So if any other Bridgerton couple could somehow make it work, Saphne really is the weakest link.

One good thing is that Bridgerton the show is still set in the 1800s, so if you want to take a trip back and turn off the skepticism of the modern day, you can do so by streaming the show on Netflix.