Princess Diana’s surprising Bridgerton connection revealed - and it’s not what you think!

Princess Diana has a Bridgerton connection many fans might not have realised and her brother Earl Spencer certainly seems to approve of this surprising detail. 

• The Princess of Wales has been revealed to have a very unexpected connection to Netflix’s period drama Bridgerton. 
• Adapted from Julia Quinn’s bestselling novels, the show has amassed millions of fans across the world and showrunner Chris Van Dusen has revealed a very regal source of inspiration. 
• This royal news (opens in new tab) comes as Prince William carries on Princess Diana's legacy with emotional post as royal fans praise him for showing his 'personal' side (opens in new tab).  

Princess Diana might not be the first member of The Firm (opens in new tab) that springs to mind when fans settle down to watch Bridgerton, but it seems she has a surprising connection to the hit period drama. Inspired by the bestselling Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn, according to Metro.co.uk (opens in new tab), Netflix has now revealed that it’s their biggest original series so far and topped it’s top 10 list. Set in the Regency-Era and filled with romance, drama and intrigue, any fans looking for a potential royal link in Bridgerton might consider Prince William and Kate Middleton’s love story (opens in new tab), or the fairy tale moment Prince Charles and Princess Diana married (opens in new tab) as possible options. 

However, it’s been revealed that whilst the late Princess of Wales does indeed have a surprising link to Bridgerton, it’s not quite what you might imagine. 

Back in December, just days after Bridgerton season 1 landed on Netflix, showrunner Chris Van Dusen took to Twitter to share an exciting new insight.

He declared, ‘The interior of Bridgerton House was inspired by my visit to Althorp when I was developing the show.  Elegance. Opulence. And that #staircase. #Bridgerton’. 

The magnificent Althorp House in Northamptonshire was Diana’s childhood home and it’s here that her niece Lady Amelia Spencer (opens in new tab) reportedly plans to marry. It’s also the current residence of Lady Amelia’s father and Princess Diana’s brother (opens in new tab), Earl Spencer. 

And it seems that Charles Spencer is just as excited as fans likely were about this news, as he took to Twitter this week upon learning about Chris’ earlier revelation. 

Re-sharing the showrunner’s exciting news, Charles wrote, ‘Just seen this, below - such a compliment to those of my family who went before me, making @AlthorpHouse what it still is today. #bridgerton’. 

Earl Spencer grew up here with Diana and he no doubt has many happy family memories of their years there together.

His reaction to the revelation that the titular Bridgerton family’s home, Bridgerton House, was in part inspired by the Spencer family's own magnificent home is a lovely reflection of Charles' love for this historic residence. 

Princess Diana’s brother often shares sneak peaks at Althorp House with fans on social media, including of the spectacular staircase mentioned by Chris. Earlier this year he also shared a snap of a rare family portrait (opens in new tab), bearing a startling resemblance to a royal relative. 

With Bridgerton series 2 currently filming, who knows if Althorp House or any royal residences could further inspire the show’s sets?