What is the symbolic meaning of the lil bee that keeps popping up in Bridgerton?

*Contains spoilers* 

You probably haven’t noticed the Bridgerton bee that pops up every now and then. And look, I don’t blame you – your mind is probably elsewhere, thinking of who is Lady Whistledown, how fit the Duke is and all the talk of the birds and the bees.

Wait.

Birds and the bees?

Bees??

Is the Bridgerton bee meant to symbolise sex?

No of course not, that would be too much and only someone with a particularly dirty mind could link the two together. Instead, the Bridgerton bee has a much more simple explanation.

If you didn’t know already, Netflix’s Bridgeton is based off a series of books by Julia Quinn. Each book follows a different member of the ton. It is thought the Bridgeton bee is related to the second book in the series, The Viscount Who Loved Me. 

The second book is about Anthony Bridgerton, and explains how he came to be the head of the Bridgerton house. In the Netflix series, we do not learn how the Bridgeton’s father died, but this is all explained in the second book. 

You’d expect their father was killed in battle, lost at sea, something heroic I guess. But no, the Bridgeton’s dad is stung by a bee and he has an allergic reaction causing him to die. And if one bee wasn’t enough, a second stings a love interest of Anthony’s later on in the book. 

The bee appears in the first episode, and the last. Both scenes include Anthony as a leading character, firstly of him sleeping round with the opera singer and being a general bellend to his sister Daphne at the balls, then at the end when he decides he’ll grow up and find a wife. But also both scenes indicate something major happening in Daphne’s life: her introduction to society in episode one, and giving birth to her first child in the final episode. Is it too much of a stretch to suggest the bee could be her dad??

A second season of Bridgerton hasn’t been confirmed, but all these Bridgerton bee symbols suggest the second season could be focussing more on Anthony Bridgerton, especially if the series are to follow the books. And you know what, that is absolutely fine by me.

Bridgerton is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, quizzes, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

Related Bridgeton stories recommended by this writer:

• Which lady from Bridgerton on Netflix are you? Take this quiz to find out

• These 41 Bridgerton memes are so good they should be in Lady Whistledown’s column

• This is how old the cast of Bridgerton on Netflix are in real life

• There was a rape scene in Bridgerton and no one seems to have realised