Edmund Bridgerton (the father in Bridgerton) dies suddenly after being stung by a bee, due to a severe, unknown allergy that causes him to collapse and never recover. This happens years before the main events of the series, which is why Violet is a widow and Anthony becomes Viscount so young, shaping much of his sense of duty and trauma.

In the Netflix show and the Julia Quinn books, the exact cause is the same: a random bee sting that turns fatal, made more tragic by the fact that no one knew he was allergic and there was no effective treatment in the Regency era. His death deeply impacts the entire Bridgerton family and is later echoed symbolically in the story, especially in Anthony’s fears and the recurring bee imagery around the Bridgertons.