Read about Lady Danbury’s character and why she’s the ultimate Girlboss in Bridgerton, deserving more recognition and less sentimental fluff.

Bridgerton has no shortage of iconic characters, but let’s be honest, Lady Danbury is as iconic as it can get. While the Bridgertons have certainly charmed and wooed the audience, anyone who has even seen a single episode of the Netflix series cannot deny that it is Lady Danbury who is the undisputed queen of Bridgerton (sorry, Queen Charlotte)!

For three seasons, we have witnessed her change entire rule books, manipulate, and gaslight while being the absolute OG Girlboss!

Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury | Credits: Bridgerton / Netflix

From manipulating the narrative with a flick of her cane to her razor-sharp wit that just keeps getting better, it is high time we give Lady D the credit she deserves.

Lady Danbury: The true Queen of Bridgerton

Lord and Lady Danbury in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story | Credit: Netflix
Most fans of Bridgerton often mislabel Lady Danbury as a ‘mentor’ to the ton or a wise old lady with all the answers to every problem. However, anyone with a properly functioning brain would know she doesn’t just embody the Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss trope, but rather invented it.

The absolute QUEEN MOTHER of Bridgerton, she doesn’t play games but is the one making them. Queen Charlotte might credit herself as being in charge, but she doesn’t come close to it in comparison to Lady D. From nudging Simon into that duel in Season 1, making him think it was his idea all along, she carried on psychological warfare disguised behind an all-knowing smile.

When it comes to Gatekeeping, Lady Danbury decides who is in and who is out, holding the keys to the ton’s inner circle. Remember the Bridgerton fiasco in season 2? While a lot of hands were involved in improving the situation, it was ultimately Lady D’s work behind the scenes that helped restore their dignity amid the scandal.

As for being a girlboss? Well, if you have seen Queen Charlotte, you would know how Lady Danbury turned the tide around for herself. From being married to an old man much older than her, to blackmailing the queen into providing money and an estate for her family, to then rising up in status as one of the most powerful ladies in London: Lady Danbury doesn’t beg for power but takes it as and when she needs it, reshaping it to make the ton dance to her tune. And if you think that’s mentorship? Well, some anti-delulu pills would do good for you.

Netflix needs to stop diluting Lady Danbury with sentimental fluff and let her be the Girlboss she is

Lady Danbury is the OG Girlboss | Credit: Bridgerton / Netflix

If you have watched all the seasons of Bridgerton (yes, Queen Charlotte too), then you must have noticed how Lady Danbury’s character has changed across the seasons. While in season one, she is a formidable force, sharp-tongued and unapologetic, in season two, we can see some hint of a grandmotherly-like care creeping in, even though she is just as scheming and strategic as in the first season.

But in season three, this sentimental shift seems more noticeable. Although she is still clever and commanding, we see her role turn into more of an advisory nature and less ruthless than before. Leaning more into the ‘wise old lady’ trope, her character has gotten softer around the edges. While we appreciate the change, Bridgerton really needs to stop dimming Lady D‘s brilliance and let her get back into the OG Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss she is.

She is not here to coddle but here to conquer, so instead of making her character softer with her sentimental wisdom, we desperately need her original spark back. Not just a survivor or Violet’s ‘bestfriend’ or the Bridgerton’s savior, Lady Danbury is a dictator in silk, and Netflix shall better stop turning her into a Fairy Godmother but let her be the unapologetic queen she is!

Anything less than that? Well, that would be a gross insult to the OG Bridgerton legend.

Bridgerton is available to be streamed on Netflix.