Brimsley is the queen's right hand man.
History[]
King George's Wedding[]
When Charlotte came to London to marry King George III, Brimsley was assigned to work with her, starting with taking her to the seamstress to have her dress fitted. Charlotte tried to get Brimsley to walk with her so she could ask him some questions, but he told her he had to walk five paces behind her at all times. She asked him about the king, but he was only able to recite basic facts about him, which didn't satisfy her curiosity. As he helped her prepare for the ceremony, he told her he'd always be with her. She told him she needed the chamber pot and he had everyone leave to give her privacy. While they were out of the room, she left and tried to run away, leading Brimsley to search for her frantically. After the wedding, Brimsley accompanied her to Buckingham House, where she would be living.[1]
The Queen's Visit[]
Queen Charlotte spent the early days of her marriage doing very little, as she was not meant to receive visitors during her honeymoon and was also not seeing King George. Frustrated, Queen Charlotte decided to visit her husband at Kew. Reynolds greeted her and directed her to the observatory, then he invited Brimsley inside under the guise of allowing him to warm up, allowing them to share an intimate moment in Reynolds' quarters. While they were together, they also discussed how to get the king and queen to consummate their marriage, as they were both aware it hadn't yet happened. Despite this, when they were summoned to meet with Princess Augusta, Lord Bute, and Earl Harcourt, they lied and said the marriage had been consummated.
In order to get them to consummate their marriage, Brimsley said the king needed to make some kind of gesture. Reynolds promised to suggest it. Soon after that, King George sent a dog to Queen Charlotte. She rejected the offer, saying that dogs were large and the animal he sent more resembled a deformed bunny.
Despite it being her honeymoon, Queen Charlotte decided to receive her ladies-in-waiting. Brimsley suggested she meet with just one, to avoid a scandal. He particularly recommended Lady Danbury.
Conflict arose when Reynolds learned about this visit, though Brimsley promised Lady Danbury would be discreet.
While the king and queen consummated their marriage, Brimsley and Reynolds shared their own private moment together.
The next morning, Queen Charlotte wanted to hold breakfast to wait for the king, but Brimsley told her the king had a visitor. When she learned it was his mother and overheard a conversation between them, she went back and told Brimsley there was no need to wait for the king.[2]
Coronation Day[]
On Coronation Day, Brimsley was looking for the king when he found Reynolds in the cellar. He also saw the king being examined by an unfamiliar doctor. When he asked Reynolds about it, Reynolds firmly told him he'd seen nothing.
After the coronation, the king and queen returned home, where they went their separate ways as soon as they were out of public view. Despite the tension between them, the king and queen got together every even day to attempt to produce an heir, aided by Brimsley and Reynolds. When they made one such attempt while in the dining room, Brimsley and Reynolds were forced to clear the room. Outside the room, Reynolds asked if he could go back to Brimsley's chambers to cool off.
Once Queen Charlotte was out of her honeymoon period, Brimsley advised her that she had a full schedule. She asked about hosting events and Brimsley informed her that the king didn't allow social events of any kind at the palace and also didn't socialize outside the palace. He didn't know why, but thought it might have something to do with the doctor. He tried to play that comment off, but Queen Charlotte cleared the room and asked him again what he'd meant. Despite this, Reynolds maintained that there was nothing to know.
One night, the king left the palace in the middle of the night nude. Reynolds had Brimsley stand guard at the garden door and not let anyone even, even servants, while he attempted to cover the king and get him back inside. He was unable to, but Queen Charlotte stepped in and got him back inside.[3] Once he was back inside, Queen Charlotte helped Reynolds clean the king up. She questioned Reynolds and Brimsley about what was wrong with her husband.[4]
The Queen's Letters[]
While the king remained at Kew, getting treatment from Dr. Monro, Queen Charlotte wrote him several letters, which Brimsley took to Reynolds to be delivered to the king. When the letters went unanswered, the queen asked about it, but Brimsley was only able to tell her he was delivering them. She wrote another letter, this time to her brother, which Brimsley opened and read. He learned that she wanted her brother to come back to Germany, so he told Reynolds he needed to get the king to come back to her. Reynolds said he couldn't, but couldn't tell Brimsley why.
Brimsley told the queen that she couldn't leave England, but she just told him he had to stay at the palace so he wouldn't be blamed for her disappearance. She fled to Lady Danbury's, but was quickly brought back home.
When Queen Charlotte learned that King George was being essentially tortured by Dr. Monro under the guise of treatment, she ordered Monro out and told Brimsley they would be moving to Kew.[5]
Brimsley and Reynolds talked about the king's health. Reynolds was hopeful he'd stay well and he and the queen would have a lifetime together, which would give Reynolds and Brimsley a lifetime together in turn.
The king and queen threw a ball to introduce their son, the prince. At the ball, Brimsley and Reynolds slipped away and danced privately, far away from the crowd.[6]
1813 Debuts[]
Brimsley stood by the queen as she received the young ladies who were eligible for marriage at the start of the 1813 social season.[7]
Brimsley came to inform the queen that the royal physicians had an update for her on her husband. She simply asked if the update was that he was dead and Brimsley told her he didn't think it was, so she didn't go to hear it.
While the queen had tea with Lady Bridgerton, she sent Brimsley away to get her more snuff so they could talk freely as she said Brimsley was a terrible gossip.[8]
Brimsley continued to attend events at the queen's side.[9]
He was later present when Daphne was called to the palace to meet with the queen and prince.[10]
After Daphne and Simon got engaged, Lady Whistledown reported on it and Brimsley gave the report to the queen, horrifying her.[11]
At the queen's luncheon, Brimsley told Eloise the queen requested to speak to her. Later, when the Featheringtons arrived despite being embroiled in scandal, Brimsley had to go to them and ask them to leave.[12]
The Queen's Search[]
When Eloise approached the queen at an event to talk about Lady Whistledown, Brimsley stopped her, saying she couldn't just approach the queen. Eloise told him it was about Lady Whistledown, but he said the queen had it covered and would be unmasking Whistledown that very night. He then told her where Lady Whistledown got her pamphlets printed, which is where they'd do the unmasking.[13]
The next season, when Lady Whistledown returned after a period of silence, the queen told Brimsley to bring her a list of the peerage, in the hopes of finally finding her true identity.[14]
Brimsley brought the queen cards with the faces and names of all the ladies who had spoken to Edwina at her soiree. The queen was certain Lady Whistledown was among them.[15]
Anthony and Edwina's Wedding[]
As the queen planned Edwina and Anthony's wedding, she told Brimsley she'd oversee every detail and challenged Lady Whistledown to get the better of her.[16]
The planning continued and Brimsley told the queen that the fireworks were timed to go off right as they said I do. She told him to make it even bigger and better. She also told Brimsley to close off the king's wing and he said he would. Additionally, he told her each lady suspected of being Lady Whistledown would have a footman watching her every move. She proposed putting out false rumors to see who would take the bait.
When Edwina abruptly left the wedding in the middle of the ceremony, the queen told Brimsley to escort the guests to the gardens and not to let anyone leave. In the gardens, he planted a rumor for Cressida to overhear that Edwina called off the wedding because she wasn't pleased with the simple honeymoon Anthony had planned. After it was all said and done, Brimsley handed the queen a note, saying they knew the name of Lady Whistledown.[17]
After Lady Whistledown's report essentially blamed the queen for the failed wedding, she asked Brimsley to arrange for her carriage.[18]
Baby Race[]
After the princess royal died, leaving Queen Charlotte and King George III without an heir, Brimsley helped her gather her children so she could talk to them about securing the line by having a royal baby.[19] When her sons were unable to find suitable brides within an acceptable time frame, Queen Charlotte had Brimsley assembled a list of suitable women for them to marry so she could find her unmarried sons brides herself.[20]
Queen Charlotte asked Brimsley why he thought her daughters never married. He said he didn't know, but when she pushed, he said her daughters loved her and didn't want to leave her alone with her husband being ill. For his comments, Queen Charlotte sent Brimsley to stand on the other side of the room and face away from her.[21]
Queen Charlotte posed with her children for a portrait. When they all got frustrated and left, Brimsley told Benjamin West to keep painting and threatened his reputation if he stopped because they weren't actually posing anymore.
When Queen Charlotte's children claimed she wasn't a good mother to them, she asked Brimsley, who said she was a great queen, but she served one person: the king. She cared for him above all, like everyone. She said that wasn't true because Brimsley cared for her, which he promised to do until his final days. She asked him if he had any family or if he ever married and he said no, he couldn't find someone who was free to spend a lifetime with him.[6]
1815 Season[]
Brimsley stood by the queen's side as she welcomed the 1815 debutantes. However, they failed to impress her, causing her to joke that she needed Brimsley to bring her a coffin.[22]
When the ladies started showing off for the queen at the next ball, she told Brimsley she was pleased to see them finally trying.[23]
At the hot air balloon debut, Brimsley presented Francesca Bridgerton the queen, who introduced her to Samadani.[24]
When Lady Whistledown reported on Francesca and Lord Samadani being a good match, the queen was pleased, as she'd manufactured the match. She decided to host a gathering and Brimsley asked her if she'd take the opportunity to make a match for Francesca. The queen responded by having him take a step back, saying he read her too well.[25]
When the newest Whistledown arrived, the queen had Brimsley read it to her. She was surprised when it contained no antagonism, even though it reported that Francesca chose John Stirling over the queen's pick for her.[26]
When word got to the queen that Cressida Cowper was claiming to be Lady Whistledown, the queen sent two of her guards to bring Cressida and her mother to the palace. Brimsley greeted them and told them the queen would see them.
Later, Cressida showed up uninvited to the Mondrich party after the queen had told her she didn't want to see her in her court. Brimsley offered to have Cressida brought to her, but the queen decided to let her stew first. She had her summoned later and Cressida said she had a gift for the queen, a notice from Lady Whistledown promising a full issue soon.[27]
As two issues of Lady Whistledown came out the same day, one published by Cressida and the other by the real Lady Whistledown, refuting Cressida's claim, the queen heard from people who claimed to have information that could lead to Lady Whistledown's identity. When Miss Hartigan said she believed Lady Whistledown lived in Mayfair because the delivery boy said most of his customers were in Mayfair, Brimsley dismissed her by saying they'd look into it.
He later accompanied the queen to Colin and Penelope's wedding breakfast, where she cleared the room except for the Bridgertons and told them she was sure one of them was Lady Whistledown and expected her to show herself. She backed off when Anthony promised he would have known if that were happening in his house and would have stopped it.[28]
Soon after this, Brimsley gave the queen a letter from Penelope, revealing herself as Lady Whistledown and asking the queen to give her a chance to address the ton herself before making a judgment. Brimsley accompanied the queen to the Dankworth-Finch ball, where she gave Penelope the floor to talk. Once Penelope was done, the queen granted her clemency and left, followed by Brimsley.[29]
Relationships[]
Romantic[]
Reynolds[]
Career[]
He is the queen's valet.
Notes and Trivia[]
- Brimsley always wears the exact same outfit to show his position next to Queen Charlotte.[30]
Gallery[]
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A more complete gallery with pictures of Brimsley (Netflix) can be found here. |
Appearances[]
| Bridgerton, Season 1 | |||||
| #01 | "Diamond of the First Water" | #04 | "An Affair of Honor" | #07 | "Oceans Apart" |
| #02 | "Shock and Delight" | #05 | "The Duke and I" | #08 | "After the Rain" |
| #03 | "Art of the Swoon" | #06 | "Swish" | ||
| Bridgerton, Season 2 | |||||
| #01 | "Capital R Rake" | #04 | "Victory" | #07 | "Harmony" |
| #02 | "Off to the Races" | #05 | "An Unthinkable Fate" | #08 | "The Viscount Who Loved Me" |
| #03 | "A Bee in Your Bonnet" | #06 | "The Choice" | ||
| Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story | |||||
| #01 | "Queen to Be" | #03 | "Even Days" | #05 | "Gardens in Bloom" |
| #02 | "Honeymoon Bliss" | #04 | "Holding the King" | #06 | "Crown Jewels" |
| Bridgerton, Season 3 | |||||
| #01 | "Out of the Shadows" | #04 | "Old Friends" | #07 | "Joining of Hands" |
| #02 | "How Bright the Moon" | #05 | "Tick Tock" | #08 | "Into the Light" |
| #03 | "Forces of Nature" | #06 | "Romancing Mister Bridgerton" | ||
References
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