Bridgerton fans are already missing Rege-Jean Page as the Duke of Hastings, Simon Bassett, in the show's second season.

While a number of new characters were introduced in Season 2, most fans are feeling the loss of such an iconic character such as the Duke. However, the Regency returned with more scandals and dramatic plots featuring numerous returning characters and the new "tonfolk."

Warning: spoilers for Bridgerton Season 2 are ahead!

What happened to the Duke of Hastings in Bridgerton Season 2?

In April of 2021, it was announced that the Duke of Hastings would not be returning for a second season. While he is not dead, his wife, Daphne Bridgerton, said that he was at their home in Clyvedon.

Is the Duke of Hastings mentioned in Bridgerton Season 2?

Yes, during the first scene of the first episode in Season 2 his absence is addressed.

Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) returned to her family's home to help her little sister Eloise prepare for her debut season.

“Do you realize I left my husband and child at home for this?” she told her younger sister while waiting outside her bedroom door.

Why did Rege-Jean Page leave Bridgerton?

Netflix and Page revealed that his character was originally only supposed to be featured in the first season.

"It’s a one-season arc. It’s going to have a beginning, middle, end – give us a year," he told Variety. "[I thought] ‘That’s interesting,’ because then it felt like a limited series. I get to come in, I get to contribute my bit, and then the Bridgerton family rolls on," he explained.

Will Rege-Jean Page return to Bridgerton as the Duke of Hastings?

According to Bridgerton executive producers Shona Rhimes and Chris Van Dusen, there could be a future for Page to return to the hit Netflix series, as it has been renewed through Season 4.

"First of all, the Duke is never gone," Rhimes told Entertainment Tonight. "He's always available on Netflix to be binge-watched over and over and over as I like to say, and I definitely would work with Regé again. He's a wonderful man, he's a great actor and he is so, so talented."

"I’ll never say never about Regé returning," Van Dusen added. "He’s not in season 2. Who knows what the future will hold."

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