seems to break barriers when it comes to race. In this semi-fictionalized world, created under Shonda Rhimes’ new mega-deal at the streaming service, race does not preclude a person from belonging to a certain class—a point of contention for those arguing the series is
historically inaccurate. In the first episode, viewers meet a Black male lead, Regé-Jean Page (a real-life Disney prince if I ever saw one), who plays the Duke of Hastings. He is the most eligible bachelor of the bunch but has sworn off marriage—until he meets Daphne Bridgerton, a sought-after white girl whose future becomes intertwined with his.