Bridgerton Fans Missed a ‘Massive’ Lady Whistledown Easter Egg in the Show’s First Scene

Dearest reader, if you were looking closely enough, you may have discovered the identity of Bridgerton’s mysterious Lady Whistledown as early as episode one, scene one. 

Often described as a Regency-era Gossip Girl, the successful Netflix series follows multiple members of London’s high society during a season of courtship in the 1800s. The families include the perfect Bridgertons, the less tactful Featheringtons, the broody Duke of Hastings, and even the British Royal Family. 

Up in everyone’s business is Lady Whistledow, a mysterious writer who narrates the series, spilling secrets and reporting on misdeeds through a scandalous, anonymous newsletter. While Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page) use Whistledown’s mischievous pamphlets to manipulate the marriage market, Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) and Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) spend much of the eight-episode series investigating the writer’s identity.

We learn in the final moments of season one that Lady Whistledown is none other than the sweet, supportive Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan). According to actor, she even gave you a major hint the first time she appeared on screen. 

“Ok I’m just curious,” Coughlan wrote on Twitter on February 20. “Has anyone spotted the massive Easter Egg about Penelope in the very first scene of Bridgerton?”

Shortly after, Coughlan filled everyone in. “When I filmed Penelope’s first scene I chose a prop,” she wrote, noting that the “massive massive feather” looked a lot like a quill. 

Sure enough, while there are promotional images from episode one featuring Penelope with the giant yellow feather in her hair, it also made another appearance. In the show’s first scene, the young woman carries the prop as one would hold a pen. Sneaky!

This isn’t the only subliminal message hidden within one of the Bridgerton character’s hair. The show’s hair and makeup designer recently broke down everyone’s looks for Glamour. Marc Pilcher chose curls for Penelope to give her a youthful look, which could mature as the season progressed: “On the surface, she’s a vulnerable character, but we know deep down that isn’t the case.”