A British debutante compared her experience to 'Bridgerton,' and said there's way less romance in reality

 A British debutante compared her experience to 'Bridgerton,' and said there's way less romance in reality

Netflix's "Bridgerton" follows the lives of debutantes and their families in Regency-era London.

• Although it's set in 1813, debutantes and society balls still exist worldwide today. 
• From scandal to romance, Insider spoke to a debutante about how "Bridgerton" compares to reality.
• "Bridgerton" reimagines London's debutante season during the Regency era.

Netflix's hit show "Bridgerton" reimagines what life was like for upper-class families who flocked to London in 1813 for debutante season, a period of time where young people courted at balls and social events in the hopes of securing a marriage.

However, the Regency-era show is far from historically accurate, its creators have previously said. 

Julia Quinn, author of the book series the show is based on, told Entertainment Weekly "Bridgerton" is really made for a modern audience: "It's important to remember that 'Bridgerton' isn't a history lesson."

Debutante balls are still well and truly alive worldwide — and one of the most well-known events in the UK is Queen Charlotte's Ball, founded in 1780 by King George III in honor of his wife Queen Charlotte. It's currently run by The London Season, an organization charged with interviewing the debutantes and putting on the events on the social calendar. 

Since its inception over two hundred years ago, the annual ball has been used as a means for young women to make their society debut, but is now more than ever focused on raising money for charity.

Each year, around 22 young women attend the event wearing traditional white bridal gowns and diamond jewelry to be presented in front of the ball's patrons as well as a towering eight-foot Queen Charlotte's cake.

While "Bridgerton" doesn't claim to be in any way historically accurate, Jennie Hallam-Peel, chairman of The London Season, told Insider she isn't a fan of the series because it fails to "truly reflect" the Queen Charlotte's Ball. 

"As the years have evolved, we've become less frivolous," she said. "I have no idea what happened in previous centuries, but I do know what's happened in the last part of the 20th century and I do know that people don't behave as they behaved in Bridgerton."

To compare the real experience of modern-day debutante balls to how "Bridgerton" reimagines it to be during Regency-era London, Insider spoke with 17-year-old Helena Vardag-Walters, who was a debutante at the Queen Charlotte's Ball in 2021. 

Vardag-Walters was one of 20 girls admitted last year through an application and interview process that often takes around three months, Hallam-Peel told Insider. The final intake is whittled down from an initial pool of 200 applicants, she added. 

She is also returning to the Queen Charlotte's Ball in September 2022 as a second-year debutante and member of the event's junior committee, she said. 

In "Bridgerton," Lady Whistledown's scandal sheet is a major plot driver and showcases just how much all the characters love to gossip about each other. But things are a lot more cordial among debutantes in reality, Vardag-Walters said.

"Everyone's incredibly lovely to each other," she said. "For the most part, we all have nothing but lovely things to say about each other." Though she did say a certain level of gossip is only natural, given they are "a group of girls."