Hang on a minute, why was Kate accepted in Bridgerton but Sophie wasn’t?
Neither of them came from aristocracy
A lot of people all have the same question after watching Bridgerton season four: Why was Kate Sharma accepted into society but Sophie Baek wasn’t, even though they were both of a lower class? Here’s a full explanation, if you’re confused.
Let’s recap. Kate, played by Simone Ashley, arrived in Mayfair at the beginning of season two from India, with her stepmother, Lady Mary, and younger sister, Edwina. She was initially a fiery spinster not interested in marriage, but soon got swept up by Anthony Bridgerton.
Credit: Netflix
Kate wasn’t part of the aristocracy and didn’t have a title when she arrived. She is the daughter of Mr Sharma and his first wife, who died when Kate was young. Mr Sharma is a working-class clerk or tradesman in India, and certainly not a lord or earl. So, why was she immediately accepted in the Ton?
Well, she was raised by her stepmother, Lady Mary, who is an aristocrat, which immediately made her position better. But the main difference between Kate and Sophie is that her parents were married when she was born, so she is a legitimate child. However, Sophie is illegitimate.
Sophie would have been shunned from society because she’s illegitimate, not just because she was a maid. That was the main issue. However, Kate and Sophie’s original positions in society before marrying the Bridgerton brothers were actually more different, than you think.
Credit: Netflix
Kate’s father is a merchant, meaning she’d be part of the gentry, a good class of people who come below the nobility. That means even though Kate’s dad was not nobility, he was still very respectable and considered to be in a good position. So, Kate and Sophie aren’t the same.
In comparison, Sophie was part of the working class as a maid because her mother was also a maid and mistress. Despite her father’s title as the Sixth Earl of Penwood, she was considered of the lower class because she was illegitimate.
Kate was also supported by Lady Danbury when she first arrived in Mayfair, so she was treated as a gentlewoman and allowed to mix with the aristocracy, even though she didn’t hold a title.
