Penelope Featherington, while perhaps considered a wallflower in the Bridgerton world, has become a wealthy figure by Season 3 thanks to her alter ego as Lady Whistledown.
Ever since the debut of Bridgerton’s first season, Lady Whistledown has reigned as the Ton’s gossip queen. Her true identity remained a mystery, but her highly sought-after newsletter led many to believe she was of wealthy status.
In the second season of Bridgerton, it was revealed that Penelope was the infamous Lady Whistledown, which also confirmed that she had earned a substantial amount of money as the writer.
The shocking revelation of Penelope’s wealth in Season 3 left Colin, Eloise, and her mother breathless. However, one may wonder how her fortune compares to modern times versus the Regency era.
How wealthy is Penelope in Bridgerton Season 3?
In the current financial market, the £10k that Penelope paid to Cressida would be worth nearly $1 million.
Not long after the wedding of Penelope and Colin, Cressida discovers that Penelope is actually Lady Whistledown. The Queen is determined to uncover the identity of the writer and puts pressure on them to reveal the truth. In order to keep the secret, Cressida blackmails Penelope for a sum of £10k.
Penelope and her mother visit Colin and Eloise to deliver the news. Despite Colin’s sincere insistence for her not to pay, Penelope surprises them by revealing that she has more than sufficient funds to cover the expense.
Eloise doubts the amount of money Penelope has accumulated over the years, but Penelope assures her that she has actually made significantly more.
Penelope’s wealth can be determined by the fact that she earns £10 for every issue sold. Fortunately, a fan on Reddit was able to provide an answer to this question.
“I was recently curious about the purchasing power of £10,000 in 1820, which is quite similar to the amount that Pen saved in the books and relatively close to the same year. I didn’t bother calculating the income from LW over time,”they clarified.
“Back in 1820, £10,000 could purchase any of the following: 952 horses, 2000 cows, 11111 stones of wool, 1757 quarters of wheat, or 66666 skilled tradesman working for a day. In today’s currency, that amount would be equivalent to approximately $935,841.86.”
Penelope has held the title of Lady Whistledown for a significantly longer period of time in the books compared to the series. The book reveals that she has made well over 8,000 entries.
A different fan provided a more detailed analysis, stating that “Pen’s £10,000 could purchase approximately £948k worth of modern goods. This is equivalent to the difference in wealth between the average worker in 1820 and someone with a net worth of £9.6 million in 2024. In terms of status, she holds a similar position to someone with a net worth of £13m, and her economic influence is comparable to an author worth £57m.”
Without a doubt, Penelope is the most affluent of all the characters, including the Bridgertons. It came as a shock to her mother when they were on the brink of being evicted from their home.
You can stream Bridgerton Season 3 on Netflix.
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