Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) is used to being in the limelight in Bridgerton. As the top royal in England, she presides over every ball she attends, names the diamond of the season (when she’s so moved), and approves the most fascinating matches in the ton. When Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1, arrives on Jan. 29, something is going to grab even her regal attention — but what will it be? 

The photo above hints that Queen Charlotte will receive a missive of great importance in the coming episodes. And Her Majesty isn’t alone in her interest; her right-hand man, Brimsley (Hugh Sachs), also looks quite curious. While we can’t know just yet what, exactly, is afoot in Mayfair during the latest season, Queen Charlotte’s favorite author can give us some insights. 

Nicola Coughlan — who portrays Penelope Bridgerton, the woman behind Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers — reveals things won’t be easy for the writer in Season 4, now that the people she writes about know her formerly secret identity. In the Season 3 finale, Penelope reveals that she’s Lady Whistledown to please Queen Charlotte and thwart Cressida Cowper’s (Jessica Madsen) extortion scheme. 

“[Penelope] realizes how difficult it is to be Whistledown and [to deal] with the fame that comes with it,” Coughlan says. “With Queen Charlotte becoming very involved in what she’s doing, these are things she’s never had to contend with before, since she was such a solitary person. It’s really turning her world upside down.” 

Penelope and Queen Charlotte aren’t the only ones going through changes in Bridgerton Season 4. The new installment will follow Bohemian second son Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) after he is awestruck by a masked, mysterious Lady in Silver at his mother’s (Ruth Gemmell) masquerade ball. The gentleman who’d always refused to settle down will become desperate to find the lady who stole his heart. 

But Benedict doesn’t realize that the object of his desire is not in society at all — she’s a resourceful maid named Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha). He’ll have to learn how to lead with something other than his breezy charm, says showrunner Jess Brownell.  

“Benedict’s free-spiritedness is both natural and genuine, but he uses it as a crutch. He’s really open-minded, and he cares about seeing past what people present on the outside,” Brownell says. “That’s meaningful, but the part that he never lets anyone see is the crutch. This season, we’re interested in watching what happens when he finally starts to let people in.”

See for yourself when Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1, debuts on Jan. 29.