Before Wallis

by Rachel Trethewey

  Rosemary’s war service meant that the prince was not only attracted to her; he also respected her deeply. The war had been a profound experience for both Edward and Rosemary and led to a strong bond between them. Although the prince had not been allowed to run the same risks as his contemporaries, he had been there with them and seen for himself the horror of the experience. He believed his education had been widened by the war because, unlike previous Princes of Wales, he had lived under all kinds of conditions with men from different classes.46 It left him with a lasting loyalty and respect for the veterans of the war. As someone who had nursed in France, Rosemary understood and shared the prince’s feelings. If Edward had married Rosemary their relationship would have been based on the most fundamental value of compassion. Both young people had this quality, as was shown in Rosemary’s nursing of the shell-shocked young man which was mirrored in the stories of the prince’s genuine tenderness to the wounded. This sensitive, caring quality was the best element of Edward’s nature and with a woman like Rosemary by his side it could have been brought even more to the fore and might have suppressed his selfish side. As one journalist wrote about her:

  Her sense was like a radiant ozone in which nothing falsely silly could live. She killed all pretence and all shams, all wrong kind of nonsense; with her sun-like humour, but never with a hard body blow or a sharp upper cut. She had sense and sensibility. She was as sensitive to beauty and feeling and sorrow as she was responsive to fun and to all the shades of the ludicrous.47

  The same correspondent compared her to Shakespeare’s heroines Rosalind, Beatrice and Portia for her ‘blend of gravity, sympathy, grace and wit’.48

  By overruling their son’s choice of bride, as well as eliminating an ideal future consort, the king and queen antagonised him. According to Lady Victor Paget, the prince was ‘bitter and furious’ about it.49 Lady Hardinge, who knew the prince and the court well, thought that the thwarting of his marriage plans, following so soon after his frustrations at not being able to take the role he desired in the war, ‘crystallised the Prince of Wales’s rebellious attitude towards established authority’.50 He had found a model modern queen and he had not been allowed to marry her. His parents’ opposition to the match was to have fateful repercussions. Rosemary was the last aristocratic single girl he seriously considered as a possible wife; from now on his lovers would be married women.

  5

  THE LOVER

  The prince did not pine for Rosemary Leveson-Gower for long; suggesting the fickleness of his feelings, he immediately transferred his affections. In March 1918 a chance encounter was to change the life of a young woman called Freda Dudley Ward forever. Disenchanted with her marriage, she was out for the evening with a male friend, ‘Buster’ Dominguez (a Latin American diplomat in London), when she got caught up in a Zeppelin raid. As the alarm sounded she took refuge in the doorway of a house in Belgrave Square. A party was happening inside and the hostess, Maud Kerr-Smiley (the sister of Wallis Simpson’s husband Ernest), invited Freda to join them. One of those present that night was the Prince of Wales, and as soon as he met this uninvited guest he was smitten. He was attracted by her vivacious manner and her slender figure. They first met in the semi-darkness of the cellar where all the guests were taking shelter. The prince came up to Freda and started an animated conversation. Once the air raid was over, the party continued upstairs. They danced until 3 a.m., then the prince took Freda back to her mother-in-law’s house in Lowndes Square. He begged to come in for just a minute, but Freda refused.

  The prince was not the only man to fall under Freda’s spell. Edward’s biographer Frances Donaldson claimed she was one of the most attractive women of her generation.1 Her contemporary, Lady Diana Cooper, described her as ‘a dream of beauty’, while Shane Leslie called her ‘an angelic waif’.2 Petite and pretty with dark curly hair and sparkly, periwinkle blue eyes, she was very feminine and exuded sex appeal and warmth. An acquaintance, the novelist Barbara Cartland, described her as ‘irresistible’ to men. She gave the impression of needing a man’s protection; she seemed so physically fragile that she could not face the world without his strength. Yet beneath the vulnerable exterior, she was a very strong woman who had great integrity and was ‘spiritually courageous’.3

  Freda was a vivacious storyteller who turned mundane events into amusing adventures. Perhaps her most distinctive characteristic was her high-pitched voice, which some people described as squeaky, but others found oddly alluring.4 It was not just men who loved Freda; she made friends wherever she went and kept them for the rest of her life. Frances Donaldson, who first met Freda when Frances was 7 or 8 years old, said that her good manners and kindness were particularly noticeable in an era when arrogance was the fashion.5 Freda was classless, which meant that she talked to members of staff in the same informal way as she chatted to her best friends.6 No doubt this was part of her appeal for the prince as it was such a contrast to the rigid hierarchy and formality of court life. Like Freda, the prince won over people from all sections of society. Once a young beautician came to give him a manicure. On her first visit, she was so nervous that she upset all her instruments; Edward got down on his hands and knees and helped her to pick them up. He then asked her about herself and laughed with her, which put her totally at ease. His sensitivity to her situation made her his fan for life.7

  Both Freda and Edward were thoroughly modern in their outlook. They refused to be bound by the conventions of the past. Born Winifred Birkin in 1894, Freda was the eldest of the three daughters and one son of a wealthy Nottingham lace manufacturer, Colonel Charles Birkin, and his American wife, Claire Lloyd Howe. The colonel’s father, Sir Thomas Isaac Birkin, was known as the ‘lace king’; he had been a successful industrialist who ran lace factories that employed many people.8 When Colonel Birkin took over the business, he was a very strict, patriarchal figure. His great-grandaughter says that he was rather like Soames in the Forsyte Saga.9 In contrast Freda’s mother, Claire, was fun-loving and lively. Born in New York, she was the daughter of a wealthy moneybroker, Alexander Howe; she spent most of her childhood in Paris and travelled extensively.10 A good singer, she was nicknamed ‘Pearly’ in the family because of her exquisite teeth. After Freda was born Claire suffered a series of miscarriages, which meant that her two other daughters, Violet and Vera, and her one son, Charles, were born with gaps of several years between them. As the years went by she became increasingly frustrated in her marriage. She fell in love with a tennis player but as divorce was not an option she stayed with her stern husband.11 Claire always had a theatrical streak which she passed on to her children and later her grandchildren. During their childhood, they were all encouraged to take part in elaborate amateur dramatics staged by Mrs Birkin.

  The Birkins were a large and important family in Nottingham and the various branches of the clan often gathered together for massive Sunday lunches at Charles and Claire’s imposing three-storey mansion, Lamcote House in Radcliffe-on-Trent. Freda hated these stuffy occasions and longed for a freer life.12 Although Freda and her siblings had a conventional upbringing, there was an unconventional and daring streak running through the family. Freda’s brother became a successful writer of horror stories and two of her first cousins became racing drivers.

  As Freda came from middle-class rather than aristocratic stock, when she first came out in society, Lady Cynthia Mosley, daughter of the Marquess of Curzon, snobbishly recalled that ‘nobody knew her. She was terribly dressed.’ However, Freda was soon enjoying the attentions of what she described as ‘a barrage’ of men. To give her an air of sophistication, a friend of Freda’s, Ali Mackintosh, took her under his wing and taught her how to dress elegantly.13 The young woman from Nottingham was great company and had a wonderful sense of humour. Adding to her attractions, underlying her sense of fun were common sense and wisdom. Perhaps the quality which made her most appealing to men – particularly rather insecure ones – was her ability to build them up and make them feel g
ood about themselves. When talking to someone, she would focus completely on them and not want to talk about herself but about them. She really listened and gave advice that was worth taking. With his complex insecurities and lack of self-esteem, Freda was just what the prince needed, but there was a major problem: she was not free.

  In 1913, shortly before her 19th birthday, Freda had married William Dudley Ward. The couple met sailing across the Atlantic. A few months before the voyage, Freda had been expelled from the private girls’ boarding school Heathfield for climbing over the school wall with some friends to go to the races at nearby Ascot. In disgrace with her parents, she had been taken on a trip to America to see Claire’s relatives. Under her father’s critical eye, she was not allowed to go to any parties or have fun. However, even under close surveillance she managed to attract male attention. In September 1912 the Birkins sailed from New York to Southampton on the Cunard liner Mauretania; Freda was sitting on deck reading a trashy novel when three young politicians kept passing her on their walking circuit. They soon started chatting to her. They were the up-and-coming MPs Tommy Agar-Robartes, F.E. Smith and William Dudley Ward. One of them seized her book, claiming it was unsuitable reading for a pretty girl her age, and threw it overboard.14

  William was immediately attracted by this spirited young woman and on their return to England he started courting her. Although he was sixteen years older than her, William was a fit and handsome man in his prime. After going to school at Eton he went to Trinity College, Cambridge. He became a notable athlete, rowing for the university and captaining the winning team in the 1899 and 1900 boat races. A university newspaper described him at the time: ‘His hair is red, his complexion is pink, and he is smooth, plump and pleasing.’ He was notoriously laid back about punctuality and keeping engagements. Apparently, he also had a liking for the ‘flesh-pots’ of Cambridge and was known, occasionally, to turn up for rowing training still dressed in white tie and tails. He had many nicknames, including ‘the Terra Cotta Baby’ and ‘the Cheaper’, but he was known to his friends as ‘Duddie’.15

  After he met Freda the couple enjoyed a whirlwind romance, and within a few months she agreed to marry the much older politician. Their wedding was held at St Margaret’s Church, Westminster, in July 1913. Society and politics were well represented in the congregation. Looking very youthful, Freda wore a white tulle dress embroidered with silver and a train of tulle lined with silver tissue. Her delicate veil was secured by a small wreath of orange blossom. After the ceremony, a reception was held at Claridge’s and then the couple went on honeymoon to the United States and Canada, sailing once again on the Mauretania, the ship on which they first met.16

  Her marriage put Freda at the heart of London society; on his father’s side Dudley Ward was a nephew of the Earl of Dudley. His mother Violet’s family were equally well connected and closely linked to the court. Her brother, Reginald, the second Viscount Esher, was a respected courtier and politician to whom Queen Mary frequently turned for advice about her eldest son. Duddie’s sister Eugenie was also married to a courtier, Sir Bryan Godfrey-Faussett, who was one of the king’s equerries. His youngest sister, Enid, was a great friend of Princess Mary.

  By the time William married Freda, he was a rising star in politics. In 1906, he had become the Liberal MP for Southampton. Described by a friend as ‘kind, jolly and vague’, he was well liked in parliament17 and gained a reputation for his witty speeches. While he was contesting Southampton, a heckler asked him if he was in favour of marriage with a deceased wife’s sister. ‘Yes,’ he replied, sweetly, ‘if it is not to be made compulsory.’18 From 1909 he was treasurer of the royal household and a Liberal whip. When he first appeared in parliament in his new role as treasurer, wearing his uniform, which was ‘all gold lace and gorgeousness’, etiquette demanded that he should retire from the House walking backwards. He did it with the agility of an athlete and won the approval of a critical audience.19 He was described by one newspaper as ‘the handsomest Treasurer of the Household ever seen in official uniform’.20

  In the first years of their marriage the Dudley Wards had two daughters. Penelope (known as ‘Pempie’) was born on 4 August 1914, on the first day of the First World War. Angela (known as ‘Angie’) arrived two years later, on 25 May 1916. During the war Duddie was commissioned as a lieutenant commander in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, which involved secret intelligence work as well as his political duties. At first Freda tried to be a dutiful political wife, attending events in the constituency. In 1915, she opened a bazaar in aid of ‘the poorer country churches’. In her short speech she thanked the stallholders, saying that it was a good thing to do during the war as it ‘helped them to forget a little of their worry, for was it not true that the busier one was the quicker did time fly’. The local vicar was evidently enchanted by her naïve style as he commented on the ‘delightful lilt and graciousness of her speech’.21 At a dinner for servicemen in 1916 she distributed ‘woolly comforts’ from under a Christmas tree. As well as winning admirers in her husband’s constituency, Freda was beginning to be noticed in society. In The Tatler that year there was a full-page photograph of her, wearing a floaty gauze dress and posing seductively on a chair, under the headline: ‘The Wife of a Very Distinguished Wet Bob Who is Doing his Bit Afloat with the Fleet.’22

  However, by the time Freda met the prince her marriage was already under strain. In 1917 Duddie was made vice-chamberlain to the royal household. In his new role he reported regularly to the king about what was happening in parliament. His increased responsibilities meant that he was often away from home. With her husband spending late nights in parliament, Freda was bored and soon found new ways of amusing herself.

  Her marriage did not prevent her relationship with the prince developing rapidly. After their first encounter, Edward wrote to ‘Mrs Dudley Ward’ at Lowndes Square proposing another meeting. This caused some confusion as Freda was staying with her mother-in-law at the time. The older woman opened the letter and thought that the prince wanted to visit her. Mrs Dudley Ward Senior invited Edward to tea, which was not quite the assignation he had hoped for.23 However, this was only a temporary setback and nothing would deter the prince from being with Freda. At first, he felt self-conscious and shy with her, but Freda’s easy manner soon broke down any barriers. For Freda, having the most eligible bachelor in the world chasing after her must have been intoxicating. His charm was legendary. Lady Hardinge, who was married to George V’s assistant private secretary, analysed his charisma. She claimed that it was a not a natural charm but a force at his command which he could switch on or off at will. If he was in a room full of people he would be the centre of attention, not just because he was the Prince of Wales, but because of his personality. It was as if he had cast a spell over people, and if he wished he could change the whole atmosphere on a whim.24 With the full force of his charm turned on Freda it would have been hard to resist.

  The besotted couple found ways to be together almost every day. Their relationship soon became the talk of society. Physically they were well matched. Edward was a little taller than Freda, but both were fashionably svelte: the prince weighed just over 9 stone, while she was 2 stone lighter.25 On 12 March 1918 Cynthia Asquith wrote:

  Saw the Prince of Wales dancing round with Mrs Dudley Ward, a pretty little fluff with whom he is said to be rather in love. He is a dapper little fellow – too small – but really a pretty face. He looked as pleased as Punch and chatted away the whole time. I have never seen a man talk so fluently while dancing. He obviously means to have fun.26

  After the parties were over they would drive around for ages in taxis as he longed to spend every hour of the day with her.

  When not in London Freda stayed at Kilbees Farm, Winkfield, near Windsor. Kilbees was owned by one of her husband’s sisters, Mrs Charles Seymour. The farm was 350 years old and had once been a hunting lodge of James I. It was a charming house with low, beamed ceilings and it had much carved and panel
led oak. An ancient kitchen had been turned into a smoking room.27 It was much easier for the couple to meet there undetected than at Lowndes Square. From when they first met, Edward felt that they knew and understood each other. They had much in common in tastes and ideas; both were fashionable not just in the clothes they wore but in their attitudes. They were soon lovers, and within weeks of meeting the prince referred to a Sunday afternoon and evening at the farm which was ‘our best stunt […] but may it often be repeated is all I can pray for!!’ He claimed he would never forget it.28 Edward’s passion for his married mistress was all-consuming. If they were apart he would phone her four or five times a night and he would be bereft if she was not in.

  As the Germans made a final push towards the Channel in March 1918 all leave was immediately cancelled and soldiers who were in Britain were ordered back to their units. One evening at Buckingham Palace, King George looked up from studying his war maps and said to his son: ‘Good God! Are you still here? Why aren’t you back with your Corps?’ In fact, the prince had asked the War Office to transfer him to France and he was waiting to see if his request was to be granted. The king took matters into his own hands, saying that he could not have his son seen around London when the British army had its ‘back to the wall’. Edward was sent back to join Lord Cavan in Italy immediately.29