I'm reading a book about Queen Camilla - I'm not especially a royalist but I find her interesting. Not looking to debate that as I know she's not everyone's cup of tea.
She was raised, according to the book, in the country with a happy stable family, left school with few qualifications and instead spent time travelling - including Paris, Milan (I think) and London, then a Swiss finishing school and doing the Season ie a year of parties, before meeting her husband (and current husband). There was no expectation for her to have a career and no money worries - she had a sizeable inheritance. That's as far as I've got but I assume (relationships aside) her life would have been quite a nice one.
I know few people get those sort of opportunities and it's not really about the money although of course that helps. It's more the lack of being forced to work for God knows how long with only a couple of weeks off every year. I know QC works now (depending on how you view the royals) but I assume many women in her world wouldn't.
I grew up in a very different world and reading it just made me think - wow! I left school with reasonable qualifications, studied for a degree and have always worked. But at mid 50s I'm pretty - to use the modern expression - burnt out and have a definite sense of 'what has it all been for?' I think it's probably quite common to wish you'd made better choices but you can only do that with the options available to you.
AIBU to wish I'd gone to finishing school, had a pony and married the inspiration for Rupert Campbell-Black instead of busting my arse for years only to still be skint at 50-odd and counting the days till I can retire and get a break?