‘The Gilded Age’s Surprising New Historical Inspiration for Gladys Just Teased Her Season 4 Storyline

Many of The Gilded Age‘s best stories and characters are based on history, although some are more loosely inspired than others. Some characters’ names directly reference a major figure of the era, while others are vague parallels that allow the series and its creator, Julian Fellowes, more creative freedom. Seasons 2 and 3 heavily lean on the similarities between Bertha (Carrie Coon) and Alva Vanderbilt, despite them not being exactly the same. Bertha’s role in Season 2’s opera war was a direct parallel to Alva’s life, as were her plans for her daughter in Season 3. By extension, Gladys (Taissa Farmiga) took a path similar to Consuelo Vanderbilt, setting her up to be a tragic character.

The Gilded Age Season 3’s storyline for Gladys’ marriage to Hector, the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb), always had a cloud over it. It’s certainly a messy situation, as mother and daughter fight about Gladys’ future. In the end, Bertha succeeds in forcing Gladys into a marriage she doesn’t want, in a heartbreaking moment for the series. Anyone interested enough to research Consuelo Vanderbilt would fear that poor Gladys is doomed, but Season 3 goes in a more hopeful direction. Gladys and Hector seem to find love for each other, raising hopes that The Gilded Age would diverge from its historical influence and give Gladys a happier life. While the love that is beginning to grow between Gladys and Hector is fragile, Julian Fellowes has just hinted at a better future for Gladys by naming another inspiration for her character.

Consuelo Vanderbilt’s History Doesn’t Hint at Good Things for Gladys in ‘The Gilded Age’

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Gladys’ connection to Consuelo Vanderbilt is clear; both have wealthy, new-money parents, specifically an ambitious mother. Like Gladys, Consuelo was married to a duke whom she didn’t want to wed. Both girls tried to fight it, but lost and, just as seen with Gladys on The Gilded Age, Consuelo was said to have delayed the start of her wedding and to have cried much of the day. It’s no secret, in either case, that the marriage was about money; specifically, both the real Duke and the fictional one needed a large sum to keep their estates going. But that was only the beginning for Consuelo, as her marriage to the ninth Duke of Marlborough was unhappy. Due to strict divorce laws, they lived separately for roughly 15 years before they finally split, thanks to an update that allowed women to leave their husbands if they could prove “desertion.” However, Consuelo would ultimately describe the process as “humiliating.”

Gladys is still in the early days of her marriage, but her wedding is so clearly based on Consuelo’s that her future on The Gilded Age initially looked bleak before the second half of Season 3 took a different path. In fact, Gladys and Hector actually grew close, and Hector ended up sending his sister, Sarah (Hattie Morahan), away to ensure Gladys’ happiness. There is no guarantee this trajectory will last, but the twist has given fans hope. While Gladys’ historical inspiration cannot be discounted, it’s also true that The Gilded Age was originally planned to be a prequel to Downton Abbey, which features a situation similar to Gladys’ in Cora Crawley (Elizabeth McGovern), who ultimately fell in love with her husband and lived a happy life despite their beginning. Though the story has obviously changed since the initial concept of the prequel, some fans hoped that part of the story might remain for Gladys, and Fellowes just fueled that desire with his statement.

‘The Gilded Age’ Creator Has Revealed Another Historical Inspiration for Gladys

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While Consuelo Vanderbilt may be the most widely known example, she was far from the only rich American debutante to marry an English lord. In fact, in this era, it was a fairly common thing, and another heiress contributed to Gladys’ characterization. In his interview with EW, Fellowes stressed that Gladys was only “partly inspired by Consuelo Vanderbilt” before going on to reveal that she was also “partly inspired by Mary Goelet, who became Duchess of Roxburghe.” This changes everything for Gladys’ future, as Mary may have married a lord who needed her money, but their life was much happier. Considered a love match, Mary and her husband, the Duke of Roxburghe, spent their lives together in Floors Castle and had one son.

Mary reportedly had a great sense of style, redecorating Floors Castle with French furniture and changing the look of the place to this day. Interestingly, Mary and Consuelo were friends, with Mary serving as one of the bridesmaids at Consuelo’s wedding, and their husbands were cousins. Her marriage to Henry John Innes-Ker put Mary in the highest echelons of the British aristocracy, making it a much-desired match, but even so, it’s their life together that should comfort fans of The Gilded Age. As Fellowes said, “the situation wasn’t very different except that they were very happy, and it was a marriage that lasted until their deaths.” Fellowes also noted that Mary’s story isn’t as widely known as Consuelo’s, in part because of the respective fame of the castles that their fortunes saved, but the fact that he includes her among Gladys’ inspirations is good news.

What Does Mary Goelet’s Story Mean for Gladys in ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 4?

It seems Gladys will get her own narrative moving forward, rather than being defined by a single historical figure’s experience, and hopefully, it will look more like Mary’s story than Consuelo’s. There is one major storyline for Gladys set up in Season 3’s finale, as she reveals she’s expecting a child in the last scene of the episode, which will be an interesting twist for all the Russells, who will undoubtedly want to support Gladys even though George (Morgan Spector) and Bertha’s marriage is on the brink.

This reveal opens up the opportunity for the next installment to give Gladys an exciting new storyline. Interestingly, this is already a deviation from Mary’s history, as she didn’t give birth to an heir for ten years; however, with two historical figures combining to inspire Gladys, perhaps she has a chance at happiness in Season 4 and beyond. Gladys and Hector took a long time to reach a good place together, but love can grow, and after everything she’s been through, Gladys deserves that.