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I’m a real-life debutante and society balls are a lot less romantic than in Bridgerton – they’re about networking for us

A DEBUTANTE has opened up about the differences between the real-life society balls and how they’re portrayed in Bridgerton.

The hit Netflix series shows the glamorous affairs as an occasion for a young woman to court a potential husband, but Helena Vardag-Walters insists they are more about networking than romance for attendees these days.

Helena Vardag-Walters has spoken about The Queen Charlotte’s Ball and the similarities, or lack thereof, between it and the society balls in BridgertonGetty

Charithra Chandran played Edwina Sharma in season two of Bridgerton, and was chosen as the “diamond” of the seasonLIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX

The debutants gather for the Queen Charlotte’s Ball – the biggest society ball in the UKGetty

“Originally it was presenting young women at court as newly eligible for marriage,” the 17-year-old told Insider.com.

“It was all about getting these young women married because that was how women had power in those days.

“Nowadays, it’s much more about meeting other like-minded and intelligent and driven women.”

Helena is one of around 22 young women who attended Queen Charlotte’s Ball – an event which was founded by King George III in 1780, in honour of his wife Queen Charlotte.

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While the ball was traditionally used for the women to make their entrance into society – all wearing white bridal-type gowns and diamond jewellery – it’s now more about raising money for charity.

“It’s not about being the most marriageable,” she added.

“It’s about how much you can do to help with the charity and how much you can contribute.”

And another difference between the real-life events and the fictional balls in Bridgerton is that the latter see one woman chosen as the “diamond of the season”.

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But that doesn’t happen in reality.

Instead there are several of the girls who are chosen to cut the ceremonial Queen Charlotte cake but Jennie Hallam-Peel, chairman of The London Season, who put on Queen Charlotte’s Ball, added: “It was less about whether or not they were the diamonds, but more how much work they did.”

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Like in Bridgerton, guests at the ball have to learn traditional dances, with Helena admitting that nailing the Viennese Waltz ahead of September’s ball was “difficult”.

But later in the evening, things liven up, and debutantes and other guests are able to dance to more “modern music”.

Helena descending the stairs at One Whitehall Place alongside her fellow debutantesGetty

GettyThe Queen Charlotte cake takes pride of place at the glamorous annual event[/caption]

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