Celebrity Regé-Jean Page Is Departing 'Bridgerton' The Duke of Hastings will not appear in season 2 of the show. By Kimberly Truong Kimberly Truong Kim Truong is a writer focusing on news, entertainment, and culture. She is a graduate of Fordham University. Her work has appeared on The Cut, Self, Refinery29, and BBC America. InStyle's editorial guidelines Published on April 2, 2021 @ 12:35PM Pin Share Tweet Email Sorry, Bridgerton fans — it's time to bid adieu to the Duke of Hastings. In a Lady Whistledown-approved note on Twitter, the official Netflix show account confirmed that Regé-Jean Page will not be returning as Simon for season 2 of the show, which will focus on Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey). "While all eyes turn to Lord Anthony Bridgerton's quest to find a Viscountess, we bid adieu to Regé-Jean Page, who so triumphantly played the Duke of Hastings," the note reads. "We'll miss Simon's presence onscreen, but he will always be a part of the Bridgerton family." Fans, of course, were bereft. But as some pointed out, the Duke of Hastings rarely appears in the books on which the show is based after the first novel, which season 1 was based on. And Page, who is hot off his breakout performance on the show, has a stacked plate in front of him. Following his Saturday Night Live hosting gig, the actor is currently filming the upcoming movie The Gray Man alongside Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans and was cast in a lead role in the Dungeons and Dragons movie. "It's a one-season arc. It's going to have a beginning, middle, end — give us a year," he told Variety about his time on the show. "[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." "Pleasure and a privilege!" he tweeted alongside the announcement of his departure. "An honour to be a member of the family - on and off screen, cast, crew and incredible fans - the love is real and will just keep growing." Bridgerton's Regé-Jean Page Thinks You Deserve a Love Story Still, Bridgerton fans have plenty to look forward to in season 2, which star Adjoa Andoh has said will contain parallels to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's story. And as for Page's counterpart in the show, the announcement of his departure says "Daphne will remain a devoted wife and sister, helping her brother navigate the upcoming social season and what it has to offer — more intrigue and romance than my readers may be able to bear."