This article contains spoilers for Bridgerton season 3 and the book series.

Bridgerton author Julia Quinn mentioned that the genders of beloved characters from her books have been switched in the Netflix series adaptation.

In Season 3 of Bridgerton, the character Mikaela Sterling replaces Michael Sterling in the books. Mikaela is the cousin of Francesca Bridgerton's first husband, John Sterling, who eventually becomes her new love interest.

Quinn issued a statement on Instagram in response to fans' "surprise" and "disappointment" over the move.

"Anyone who has watched my interviews over the past four years knows that I am deeply committed to making the Bridgerton world more diverse and inclusive as the story moves from book to screen. When [showrunner] Jess Brownell first approached me with the idea of turning Michael into Michaela, I needed more information before I agreed."

Quinn further explained that although she trusts production company Shondaland with the Bridgerton series, she wanted Francesca's deep love for John to be evident on screen so that there could be more layers to the Michael/Michaela romance

"I wanted to make sure that the love for John was very clear on screen.

"I am now convinced that when Francesca enters Bridgerton's season, it will be the most emotional and heart-wrenching story on the show, just as "When He Was Evil" has always been a true tear-jerker in Bridgerton's book series," Quinn wrote.

"Frankly, John's on-screen appearances are much more than his page appearances, so it may pack even more of a punch.

She concluded. 'As we move forward, I ask that you trust me and the Shondaland team. We have two complete stories to tell, one on the page and one on the screen, and I think both will be beautiful and inspiring."

Brownell has also previously discussed her decision to tell Mikaela's story, telling Teen Vogue, "My approach to telling a queer story in Bridgeton was to look to books for thematic cues. I didn't want to have queer characters for queer characters' sake. When I first read Francesca's book, I really identified with her as a queer woman."

She added, "Her books are very much about [Francesca] feeling different and not really knowing why. In the book, I think it has to do with her simply being an introvert, but as a queer woman, I think a lot of my queer experience, and a lot of my friends' (experience), is feeling different and navigating what that means."