“I totally understand why.”

Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell has responded to suggestions that Eloise (Claudia Jessie) is queer.

The character has been at the centre of fan speculation, notably given she has shown little interest in men on the show. While she does marry a man in the original novels, the Netflix show has been known to deviate from the source.

Despite this, Brownell has said in a new interview that Eloise’s lack of interest is down to her being more drawn to “cerebral pursuits” at the moment.

“We’ve talked about Eloise in the room a lot about the fact that to a lot of people, she does read as queer, and I totally understand why,” she told TVLine.

“But we felt it’s really important to hold space in this show where everyone is obsessed with romance for there to be a character – specifically a female character – for whom that is not the priority.”

She added that the aim “is not that Eloise just needs to meet someone of the right gender but that, in fact, she is genuinely more interested in cerebral pursuits at this moment”.

Brownell further suggested that Eloise “is on a path of finding her place in a society that doesn’t make a lot of room for women who care more about ideas than they do love”.

Star Jessie has also addressed the idea of her character being queer, sharing her enthusiasm over the possibility.

“I’ve always loved that there’s this coding that people have with Eloise,” she told Business Insider.

“There’s a strength in her that I think a queer storyline can connect. And I’ve always been touched by that as a notion with Eloise. But yeah, there’s definitely room for all of that.”

In other news, Brownell has suggested fans will be in for a long wait for Bridgerton season 4 of the show, admitting they are “kind of on a two-year pace” in terms of production.