What happened to Sophie's parents in Bridgerton season 4? (It's a tragic answer)

It's been a long time coming, but Bridgerton season 4 is finally here! The first four episodes of the highly anticipated fourth season are now streaming on Netflix, and it's all about the second Bridgerton son, Benedict, who finds himself tangled in a whirlwind romance with the mysterious and clever Sophie Baek.

While fans are already well-acquainted with Benedict and his family, Sophie is a fresh addition this season. We quickly learn that she serves as a maid for Lady Penwood and her two daughters, Rosamund and Posy. In fact, Lady Penwood is her stepmother, and Rosamund and Posy are her stepsisters. But what happened to her biological parents? As the season reveals, Sophie’s past is marked by tragedy.

Major spoilers are ahead from Bridgerton season 4 part 1!

Both of Sophie's parents passed away in Bridgerton season 4

The fourth season doesn't start delving into Sophie's backstory until episode 2. In the first flashback, we see a young Sophie standing outside her family's estate alongside her father, waiting for her new stepmother and stepsisters to arrive. During this scene, we learn that Sophie actually comes from a noble background. So, how did she end up being a maid? We'll get to that in a bit.

In this first flashback, a young Sophie is excited to meet Lady Penwood, Rosamund, and Posy. However, the same can't be said for Lady Penwood. Once she learns from Lord Penwood (Sophie's father) that Sophie is his daughter, her demeanor immediately changes. During this scene, we don’t yet learn what happened to Sophie’s biological mother.

At this point, she could either have passed away or separated from Lord Penwood. All we know is that Sophie is excited to meet her new stepmother. She even tells one of the estate staff that she’ll finally have a mother figure in her life, which is something she’s always longed for. Later in the second episode, there's another flashback to Sophie's past.

She's much older now. Lord Penwood has passed away, and Sophie, Lady Penwood, and others attend his funeral. However, it's not revealed what Lord Penwood died from. After the others leave, Lady Penwood stays behind at the gravesite with Sophie and shares some sad news. She tells Sophie that she learned from a solicitor that Lord Penwood did not include her in his will. This leaves Sophie stunned, as she had always believed her father loved her and would never treat her this way.

Is this information true? It's unclear, but Sophie takes Lady Penwood's words as the truth. Lady Penwood then discloses information about Sophie's biological mother as well. She reveals to Sophie that her mother was a maid who became Lord Penwood's mistress. She also tells Sophie that she died when she was young. But like Lord Penwood, the cause of her death is never explained. All that is known is that both of Sophie's parents passed away.

Since she was supposedly left out of Lord Penwood’s will, Sophie essentially loses her claim to her noble status. However, Lady Penwood tells her that she will continue to look after her and provide a home. There's only one condition. Sophie has to work as a maid for her. So, there you have it. What happened to Sophie's parents is that they both passed away. Additionally, she began working as a maid because she was not included in her father's will.

There will likely be more flashbacks to Sophie's past in the upcoming Bridgerton season 4 part 2. We'll just have to wait until it drops on Netflix to know for sure.