Lady Whistledown’s paper is an anonymous gossip sheet circulated among London’s high society, and in Bridgerton it functions mainly as a trigger for action. Because everyone reads it and reputation matters so much, each new issue can instantly turn private moments into public scandal, expose secrets, and reshape how people are seen. That forces characters to react: deny, confess, hide evidence, confront others, or strike back. In other words, the paper repeatedly sparks new conflicts and keeps the plot moving.