Being rich does not equate to being upper class. The term "impoverished gentry" has been around for centuries - think of, say, the Elliot family in Jane Austen's "Persuasion". Even by the late 17th century, plenty of middle class people who'd made fortunes in trade were richer than some upper class people.
Not being royal does not mean that you're not upper class. There's royalty, then there's aristocracy, then there's gentry. And then there's middle class ... and there are umpteen degrees of middle class! Mark Phillips, son of a brigadier whose father was a royal aide, and who went to a public school and then Sandhurst, is middle class, but someone who owns a small shop might also think of themselves as middle class!
Same everywhere - take Gone With The Wind, where people like the Wilkseses and the Meades are still "ladies and gentlemen" even after losing their money and property in the war.
It's complicated! I'd say that Peter and Zara were upper class. "Rich" doesn't come into it - they could be as poor as church mice and that still wouldn't stop them from being upper class. And, not now, but in the past there were people who'd made a lot of money, had big houses and servants, but were still considered middle class by upper class circles! But who knows how they see themselves? Mark Phillips is upper middle class.
Not being royal does not mean that you're not upper class. There's royalty, then there's aristocracy, then there's gentry. And then there's middle class ... and there are umpteen degrees of middle class! Mark Phillips, son of a brigadier whose father was a royal aide, and who went to a public school and then Sandhurst, is middle class, but someone who owns a small shop might also think of themselves as middle class!
Same everywhere - take Gone With The Wind, where people like the Wilkseses and the Meades are still "ladies and gentlemen" even after losing their money and property in the war.
It's complicated! I'd say that Peter and Zara were upper class. "Rich" doesn't come into it - they could be as poor as church mice and that still wouldn't stop them from being upper class. And, not now, but in the past there were people who'd made a lot of money, had big houses and servants, but were still considered middle class by upper class circles! But who knows how they see themselves? Mark Phillips is upper middle class.
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