Long before the existence of Hinge prompts where users can list their green flags (a low Snapchat score) and red flags (too many friends of the opposite sex) on their profile, people in the dating pool had to find them out the hard way. In other words – just waiting for them to slowly be revealed. Even with extreme wealth, good looks and being highly sought after, the Bridgerton characters have red flags.

One is uncommunicative, another moves seamlessly from one woman to the next, and the other one dumps a woman for her sister. It just goes to show dating has been tricky for over 200 years, giving me a bit of hope. Here are all the Bridgerton characters and their red flags.

Penelope Featherington – Leading a double life, and falling for her best friend’s brother

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Who better to start with than Lady Whistledown when it comes to spotting red flags? We have all had to keep secrets from our friends and family at one point or another, but using a whole different accent, lying to everyone she knows apart from Eloise, and keeping this secret for several years takes secrecy to a new level. To be honest, despite this being a huge red flag, it is very impressive that she has managed to go this long without spilling the beans.

Secondly, falling for your best friend’s brother is definitely an idealised situation we see in films such as The Kissing Booth and The Edge of Seventeen, but this is almost never a good idea, as Penelope and Eloise’s relationship shows us in this most recent season. Alexa play, My Best Friend’s Brother by the Victorious cast x

Francesca Bridgerton – Keeping her cards close to her chest

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Francesca Bridgerton is a character whose development we only really have seen in the most recent season of the show. Even though she is praised and described as a “sparkler” by the queen and has plenty of men fawning over her, she does not show her emotions towards them outwardly, making it difficult for them to know how she is feeling. What do she and the Earl of Kilmartin talk about all day?

Eloise Bridgerton – Just one of the lads

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Despite her personality being seemingly based off Elizabeth Bennet due to her stubborn and independent nature and her feminist ideals, Eloise Bridgerton is not much of a girl’s girl. She is constantly berating the girls her age for trying to find a husband, an act that will ultimately define their social status and their future in the ton). Whilst this attitude is progressive and modern, it does not come in useful for her female friendships.

Colin Bridgerton – Racking up a huge bodycount on his travels

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You just know Colin Bridgerton would’ve been a gap yah boy who found himself in Bali, never stops talking about the full moon parties in Thailand, and is always bringing up anecdotes of his travels and his “conquests” if he were alive in 2024. Of course this persona is still attractive to some, and Colin Bridgerton really laps up the female attention he receives in season three because of this playboy attitude. There are very few scenes in the first few episodes where we see him not surrounded by a gaggle of giddy girls blushing as he recounts his exploits.

Kate Sharma – Stole her sister’s man

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It’s giving Jo and Amy in Little Women. Antony Bridgerton had his heart set on Edwina Sharma, the diamond of the season, until he bumped into her older sister and was instantly smitten. As well as this huge bombshell, Kate can’t even admit her feelings for Anthony to Edwina, further creating tension. As much as I love a slow burn romance, I can’t be fully supportive of this as there was some seriously sneaky business going on behind Edwina’s back. Out of all the Bridgerton characters red flags, Kate’s is pretty out there.

Anthony Bridgerton – Serial ghoster

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Anthony let poor Edwina think he was in love with her, when he was actually falling for her sister from the very beginning. He would be the type to have a whole roster of girls waiting for him to respond to their messages whilst he’s on a baecation with the lucky one. He needs to learn to address his feelings before it gets to breaking point – I think waiting until your wedding ceremony to realise you love someone else might be a bit too late hun x

Cressida Cowper – Can be a mean girl, loves a bit of competition

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After having found out that Penelope Featherington is trying to court Lord Debling as well, Cressida makes it her life’s mission to foil her competitor’s plans. But then again, finding a suitor is the be all and end all for girls of their age, and so trying to outdo your competition is a natural defence mechanism. Before season three, Cressida was mostly known for her rude comments directed at other girls in the ton – another case of a character who is not at all a girl’s girl.

Madame Delacroix – Loves stirring the pot and faking an identity

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Keeping up a French accent solely for marketing reasons to promote her designs and show that they’re all in fashion is respectable? Get that check girl. Her main red flag is the fact that she spends more time sharing the latest gossip to all her customers than actually making dresses, but when the tea is that hot I guess you have to spill it!

Benedict Bridgerton – Has no backbone

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There are eight Bridgerton siblings, so it’s no surprise that some of them were bound to fall through the cracks. But Benedict, where’s your rizz? He’s such a pushover and we’re all yet to fully understand him.

 Philippa and Prudence Featherington – Their fashion sense

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I’m pretty sure I had better fashion sense at age 10, dressed head to toe in clashing New Look patterns after I managed to get my mum to stop picking out all of my clothes for me, convinced I was too cool for that. Seriously, now that these women both have children, they need to overrule their mother and her questionable fashion choices.

Violet Bridgerton – Plays favourites

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Violet Bridgerton definitely play favourites – her boys galivant all over the world, whilst Eloise, the only Bridgerton sibling who’d actually make something of a world tour, is soon to be married off.

Lady Danbury – Untrusting

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Ok, we can’t blame this one on her. Her brother and late husband are mainly at fault for Lady Danbury’s trust issues, but either way, she’s never going to get true happiness out of life being so skeptical of everyone.

Queen Charlotte – Has her fingers in too many pies

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Queen Charlotte is SO nosy. Surely it should be the ton obsessed with her, not the other way around. You’re literally a QUEEN Charlotte. Do you not have any hobbies? Maybe if she focussed on one task at a time, she’d have found Lady Whistledown much sooner.