He saw it. He liked it. He wanted it. He didn't get it... but boy was Prince Friedrich gracious in defeat. In the world of Bridgerton where rakes run rampant and make a mess of their relationships with their lady loves (read: Simon and Anthony), Bridgerton's Prince Friedrich was an anomaly of gallantry. A prince of a man — literally — without a daddy issue in sight.
Prince Friedrich wasn't the man of Daphne's dreams. And their spark didn't, well, burn, at the end of the day. But even the naysayers (Anthony Bridgerton) can't argue that this guy was a gentleman who knew what he wanted in Bridgerton and needs to be given a shoutout for that. After all, every other man on the show is utterly and completely lost. (But don't get me wrong, we still love them for it.)
Let's reflect, shall we?
He clearly communicates his wants and needs
Early on in his relationship with Daphne, the Prince declares his intentions with the eldest Bridgerton sister as well as communicates the things most important to him in a partner. Meanwhile, Simon is playing with Daphne's feelings like a game of emotional table tennis... Open and forthright he is not.
At the boxing match in particular, Friedrich wants to confirm that Daphne really is keen to have a big family, just like the one she grew up with. And he enthusiastically praises England as an ideal place to raise children, clearly indicating to her how she wouldn't need to move far away from her close-knit family if they were to wed. A princely dose of thoughtfulness, indeed.
He doesn't play childish games
This man also doesn't beat around the bush. If he wants to share the first two dances at the ball with you, he'll ask you. If he's happy to see you, he'll make sure you know it. There's no guessing with Prince Friedrich on where he stands and he would never toy with a woman's feelings.
Yeah, he is polite to Cressida Cowper, who fawns over him and swoons to get his attention — come on, he wouldn't be rude and just let her fall to the floor in her "exquisite" dress — but he never actively shows a real interest in her. With Daphne, when he knows he wants to marry her, he follows all sense of formality and asks Anthony's permission to propose.
He respects people's wishes and doesn't hold any ill will
And at every turn, he is a pillar of maturity. He was attracted to Daphne from the moment she snorts when he compliments her dress, a sparkling diamond amongst the gaggle of cloying rubies who only care about what his title can offer them.
But when he reads Lady Whistledown's gossip papers that declare she and the Duke seem attached, he is willing to step aside so as to let them pursue their love in peace.
And in the end, after Daphne and the Duke become engaged, he is hurt and disappointed because he thought they were on the same page and had an understanding of where their relationship was going. But he wishes the soon-to-be newlyweds every contentment and nothing but future happiness, true to his kind and chivalrous nature.
Even if he didn't find the wife and family of his dreams on Season 1 of Bridgerton, here's hoping we see him recur in Season 2 after returning home to Prussia and finding a love match of his own. It's what the man deserves.
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Image: Netflix screenshots