Sarah Ferguson has worn many hats in her life—literally, obviously (she is a former member of the British royal family, after all), but also metaphorically. Her career pursuits have ranged the gamut from, well, being the Duchess of York to an author of historical fiction, a spokesperson, a television personality, a producer, a podcaster, and a patron of charitable organizations—but her next dream gig is even one we didn’t see coming.
If Ferguson had it her way, she’d be cast in the Netflix hit Bridgerton, which premiered the first part of its third season last month (the second part is headed our way on June 13). “I want to go on Bridgerton,” Ferguson said on an episode of Good Morning Britain this week (and per Us Weekly). “I think Lady Penelope should have a friend who’s got red hair like me. Don’t you think?” She concluded her on-air pitch with the manifestation tactic of speaking it into existence: “I’m putting it out there!” she said.
If you for whatever reason don’t watch Bridgerton, season three zooms in on Penelope (played by Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (played by Luke Newton) as they transition from longtime friends to lovers. (Slight spoiler alert.) Just as Ferguson is known for her red hair, Penelope is also a redhead, though—fun fact you can take to your next dinner party—Coughlan is actually a natural blonde and wears $55,000 worth of wigs in season three, Us Weekly reports.
“At the first fitting for season three, I got teary-eyed,” she told The New York Times last month. “It felt like a Pretty Woman moment. They were finally going to let me shine.”
Ferguson has long been a fan of the show, and has loved it since its first season (and has not been shy about saying so): “I adored Bridgerton so much that I watched it twice, deliberately,” she said in January 2021. “I’m obsessed with it. I think Daphne is a terrific character, as we see her learning about life. I love the way she learns to use her strong voice. It chimed with me because now is the time for women to speak up.”
In Bridgerton’s first season, Daphne (played by Phoebe Dynevor) was the first Bridgerton sibling to take center stage, followed by Anthony (played by Jonathan Bailey) in season two and Colin in season three. “I hear they might be making future series at Sunninghill Park for the next five years, which is my old home,” Ferguson said, adding that the show’s sets and costumes are both “incredible,” as is the casting and storylines. “The way [producers] Betsy Beers and Shonda Rhimes have created Bridgerton is fabulous, and I was really impressed,” she said, throwing in a pitch to turn her own work of historical fiction into a screen adaptation. “I definitely will be talking to Shondaland about making Her Heart for a Compass into a TV series.”
But before that happens, we can all look forward to next Thursday, when season three concludes with Penelope and Colin’s burgeoning love story continuing to unfurl. “It’s so beautiful, it’s really romantic, it’s really funny, it’s very suspenseful,” Coughlan told Entertainment Tonight. “It’s everything people love about Bridgerton, but heightened.”
We know Ferguson will be tuning in—as will, perhaps, Queen Camilla, who just days after its May 16 premiere admitted she’d already binged the first part of season three.
