Another Woman’s Husband

by Gill Paul

  Joking aside, can I buy you lunch at the Savoy as soon as peace is declared? In the meantime, don’t let Ernest bore you to death with his architecture lectures.

  All my love, W.

  It sounded as though Wallis had been in touch with von Ribbentrop during wartime, which was almost certainly illegal. Rachel looked at the front of the envelope again and saw there was no postmark. The letter had never been sent. Had Wallis thought better of it, or was there another reason?

  ‘Does it mention Mary Kirk in that biography you’re reading?’ she called through to Alex.

  He looked up. ‘Yes. There’s loads about her.’

  ‘I don’t suppose it says when she died, does it?’

  He flicked through the pages: ‘Second of October 1941,’ he said. ‘Why do you ask?’

  Historical Afterword

  THE STORY OF WALLIS WARFIELD AND HER LONG-TIME friend Mary Kirk fascinated me when I first read of it. Decades-old female friendships are complex and go through many different phases, as theirs seems to have done. I stuck to the main facts in writing about them, but I imagined events from Mary’s point of view: what did it feel like to be her? In this, I was greatly assisted by a tip-off from Anne Sebba in her excellent 2012 biography of Wallis entitled That Woman. She wrote in her endnotes of a self-published biography of Mary produced by her sister Anne Kirk Cooke and niece Elizabeth Lightfoot, entitled The Other Mrs Simpson. It took a while to track down a copy, and it’s not in any sense a conventional biography, but it reproduces Mary’s letters home from London, and thus let me hear Mary’s voice and catch a glimpse of her joyful, generous nature.

  The ending of my novel is also true: Mary died of cancer at the age of forty-five, leaving behind her beloved Ernest and her two-year-old son Henry (aka Whistlebinkie). In 1943, Ernest was sent to Bombay as a post ordnance officer, overseeing munition supplies, and Henry went to Pennsylvania to stay with a friend of Mary’s called Elizabeth Schiller. He returned to Britain after the war, at which point he was sent to boarding school and does not appear to have spent much time with his father. Seven years after Mary’s death, Ernest got married again, to Avril Leveson-Gower, described in the press as a ‘sportswoman and socialite’; from photographs online I can see a vague resemblance to Mary. I like to think that Mary was Ernest’s favourite among his four wives; certainly he wrote to her sister Anne after her death, How close Mary seems to me all the time – so close in fact that for the most part I do not have any sense that she is gone.

  Wallis continued to write to Ernest until he died in 1958, and he helped her when she was writing her memoir, The Heart Has Its Reasons (1956). I have quoted directly in the novel from some of the letters she wrote to him after their separation, and there can be no doubt that she missed him.

  In 2003, British papers were released revealing that Wallis and Ernest were subject to Special Branch surveillance from 1935 after King George V requested help from Prime Minister Baldwin because he was alarmed by the amount of money the Prince of Wales was spending on Wallis and concerned they might be blackmailing him. Superintendent Albert Canning was put on the case and he reported on Wallis’s pro-German links and stated that she was having an affair with a Mayfair car salesman called Guy Trundle. (There’s not a shred of evidence to support this.) From then until after the war, Wallis was under constant surveillance by British security services, as was Edward, even during the brief period he spent on the throne, and the FBI also kept a dossier on the couple. They were both opposed to America entering the war and naïve in their friendships with leading Germans, but it’s hard to believe they were knowingly spying for Germany.

  The rumours about Wallis having an affair with von Ribbentrop continue to be investigated by biographers today, and several books and TV documentaries explore her Nazi sympathies and those of the Duke, including Andrew Morton’s Seventeen Carnations (2016). The Constance Spry bouquets delivered to Wallis are variously reported to have been roses or carnations and may in fact have been both. The engraved platinum bracelet is an invention of mine.

  Ernest kept his Jewish heritage very quiet, since prejudice against Jews was widespread in Britain in the early twentieth century and it would have adversely affected his business and social standing. His sister Maud only told Henry about it after his father’s death, when he was eighteen years old, and as an adult he decided to embrace his Jewish roots and emigrate to Israel, taking the name Aharon Solomons. He fought in the Yom Kippur war as part of the Israeli Defence Force, and became a scuba-diving and free-diving instructor in Eilat (you’ll find videos online of him explaining his methods).

  Wallis Warfield (seated, left) with the bridal party, before her marriage to Win Spencer. Mary Kirk is standing third from the left. © Topham Picturepoint

  As a novelist, I like dramatising the lives of famous figures from the past, but it becomes tricky when they are still alive or have close living relatives. At the time of writing it is almost twenty years since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, but I decided not to make her a character in this novel. Instead, I invented the characters of Alex, Rachel and Susie Hargreaves, and viewed Diana, and the investigation into her death, through their eyes. The reason for Diana and Dodi’s twenty-eight-minute visit to Villa Windsor on 30 August 1997 is still not entirely clear but the painting was my invention. Certainly it seems unlikely that Diana would ever have lived there.

  I have no evidence that Diana met the Duchess of Windsor, although it’s possible. Wallis was said to be very fond of Prince Charles, whom she met in 1971 when he visited her and the Duke in Paris. She came over to Britain for the Duke’s funeral in 1972 and spent three days as a guest of the Queen at Buckingham Palace, after which Charles wrote to her. She is said to have considered bequeathing some of her jewellery to his future wife, but in the event this did not happen. Both Charles and Diana attended Wallis’s funeral in 1986, at which her remains were placed next to the Duke’s in the royal burial ground near Windsor Castle.

  Alex’s investigation of the crash that killed Princess Diana is only described in my novel between 31 August and Christmas 1997, by which time the conspiracy theorists were just getting started. For the stories of the ‘flash before the crash’, the search for the Fiat Uno, Diana’s premonitions that she would be murdered, the arguments over the carbon monoxide in Henri Paul’s blood, the large amount, of money that had been deposited in his bank account, the delays in an ambulance getting Diana to hospital, and many more controversies, there are a number of books available, as well as documentaries that can be found online.

  Two programmes were shown on British television in June 1998: one backing the conspiracy theorists and the other, by journalist Martyn Gregory, pointing out the flaws in their arguments. Martyn Gregory’s account seems to me the more convincing, but opinion polls at that time indicated that a staggering 85 per cent of the British public believed Diana had been murdered.

  The French investigation into the crash did not report until 1999; it concluded that Diana died as a result of an accident caused by Henri Paul driving at high speed while intoxicated. It was followed by Operation Paget in the UK in 2004, an investigation into the various conspiracy theories, and a full judicial inquest, which reported in April 2008 that Diana and Dodi were killed as a result of the gross negligence of Henri Paul, and that the pursuing paparazzi were a contributory factor. For a full account of the crash, you can read the inquest findings online.

  The emotional impact of Diana’s death was very real. There were dozens of sobbing faces in the crowd outside her funeral, and statistics show that the suicide rate in England and Wales increased by 17 per cent in the four weeks after her death, while documented instances of self-harm rose by 44.3 per cent. However, it would be hard to prove that it signalled a long-term change in the British national character, as some claimed at the time. Was the communal expression of grief valuable for those concerned? Or do some look back on it a little shamefaced now? Certainly it started a trend for massive floral trib
utes after the deaths of much-loved celebrities, with the north London display for George Michael a recent example.

  I agree with the opinion Susie Hargreaves expresses in the novel, that Diana would have gone on to make a valuable contribution to the world. She would probably have had a few more romantic dramas as well. It will be fascinating to see the new perspectives on her all-too-brief life that will undoubtedly emerge around the twentieth anniversary of her death on 31 August 2017.

  A transcript of the speech made by Edward VIII when he publicly announced his abdication via radio from Windsor Castle

  At long last I am able to say a few words of my own. I have never wanted to withhold anything, but until now it has not been constitutionally possible for me to speak.

  A few hours ago I discharged my last duty as King and Emperor, and now that I have been succeeded by my brother, the Duke of York, my first words must be to declare my allegiance to him. This I do with all my heart.

  You all know the reasons which have impelled me to renounce the throne. But I want you to understand that in making up my mind I did not forget the country or the empire, which, as Prince of Wales and lately as King, I have for twenty-five years tried to serve.

  But you must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.

  And I want you to know that the decision I have made has been mine and mine alone. This was a thing I had to judge entirely for myself. The other person most nearly concerned has tried up to the last to persuade me to take a different course.

  I have made this, the most serious decision of my life, only upon the single thought of what would, in the end, be best for all.

  This decision has been made less difficult to me by the sure knowledge that my brother, with his long training in the public affairs of this country and with his fine qualities, will be able to take my place forthwith without interruption or injury to the life and progress of the empire. And he has one matchless blessing, enjoyed by so many of you, and not bestowed on me – a happy home with his wife and children.

  During these hard days I have been comforted by her majesty my mother and by my family. The ministers of the crown, and in particular, Mr Baldwin, the Prime Minister, have always treated me with full consideration. There has never been any constitutional difference between me and them, and between me and Parliament. Bred in the constitutional tradition by my father, I should never have allowed any such issue to arise.

  Ever since I was Prince of Wales, and later on when I occupied the throne, I have been treated with the greatest kindness by all classes of the people wherever I have lived or journeyed throughout the empire. For that I am very grateful.

  I now quit altogether public affairs and I lay down my burden. It may be some time before I return to my native land, but I shall always follow the fortunes of the British race and empire with profound interest, and if at any time in the future I can be found of service to his majesty in a private station, I shall not fail.

  And now, we all have a new King. I wish him and you, his people, happiness and prosperity with all my heart. God bless you all! God save the King!

  Edward VIII, 11 December 1936

  Notes

  Some quotations in this novel have been paraphrased from printed sources, as follows.

  ‘My grandma used to say, “Never let a man kiss your hand or he’ll never marry you.” That, and “Never marry a Yankee.”’

  ‘“Never marry a Yankee” was one of her fiercer injunctions . . . She also laid down another rule: “Never allow a man to kiss your hand. If you do, he’ll never ask you to marry him.”’ From The Heart Has Its Reasons, by The Duchess of Windsor, first published 1956.

  ‘She told me: “If you step on a puppy’s tail, it hurts just as much as if you step on a dog’s.”’

  ‘“If you step on a puppy’s tail,” she used to say, “it hurts just as much as if you step on a dog’s.”’ From The Heart Has Its Reasons, by The Duchess of Windsor, first published 1956.

  ‘Mother says that being a successful wife is an “exercise in understanding”, and that I must try harder.’

  ‘Being a successful wife is an exercise in understanding.’ From The Heart Has Its Reasons, by The Duchess of Windsor, first published 1956.

  ‘“Wallie can no more keep from flirting than she can from breathing.”’

  ‘She could no more keep from flirting than from breathing.’ From That Woman, by Anne Sebba, first published 2012.

  ‘“I’m very fond of him, and he is kind, which would be a marked contrast to the last husband.”’

  ‘“I am very fond of him and he is kind, which will be a contrast . . .”’ From That Woman, by Anne Sebba, first published 2012.

  ‘She wrote of their honeymoon driving through France and Spain, in which Ernest took the role of tour guide, with his impeccable French and his detailed knowledge of the architecture and customs: like a Baedeker, a Guide Michelin and an encyclopaedia all wrapped up in a retiring and modest manner.’

  ‘“a Baedeker, a Guide Michelin and an encyclopaedia all wrapped up in a retiring and modest manner.”’ From That Woman, by Anne Sebba, first published 2012.

  ‘I was much amused to hear the advice she gave him, Wallis wrote. She said that, as with explosives, he must handle me with care. He replied that he was well aware of my explosive possibilities and felt sure he was equal to the task.’

  ‘“Like explosives, she needs to be handled with care.” Ernest replied that he was well aware of the explosive content but had no misgivings.’ From The Heart Has Its Reasons, by The Duchess of Windsor, first published 1956.

  ‘“No one wants to leave Wallis’s parties,” Mike Scanlon whispered to Mary, “because they have so much pep in them.”’

  ‘“Wallis’ parties have so much pep no one ever wants to leave,” commented one guest.’ From That Woman, by Anne Sebba, first published 2012.

  ‘She replied in her best flirtatious style: “Why, sir, you are just a heartbreak to any woman because you flatter her but you can never marry her.”’

  ‘In the early days she used to say to him: “You are just a heartbreak to any woman because you can never marry her.”’ From That Woman, by Anne Sebba, first published 2012.

  ‘Ernest got along marvellously with their host over a shared love of history: dates and circumstances were flying back and forth across the table like ping-pong balls.’

  ‘The Prince, like Ernest, fancied himself a lay student of history; in a moment dates and circumstances were flying back and forth across the table like ping-pong balls.’ From The Heart Has Its Reasons, by The Duchess of Windsor, first published 1956.

  ‘Mary opened it to find a typed radiogram message: Wishing you a safe crossing and a speedy return to England. Edward P.’

  ‘It was a bon voyage message, signed Edward P., wishing Ernest and me a safe crossing and a speedy return to England.’ From The Heart Has Its Reasons, by The Duchess of Windsor, first published 1956.

  ‘I think I do amuse him, she wrote. I’m the comedy relief, and we like to dance together, but I always have Ernest hanging round my neck, so all is safe.’

  ‘“I’m the comedy relief and we like to dance together but I always have Ernest hanging around my neck so all is safe.”’ From That Woman, by Anne Sebba, first published 2012.

  ‘Ernest sounded weary and sad. “I told her that all the nice things about our marriage have been spoiled and I do not want to be tied for life to someone I cannot live with.”’

  ‘“All the nice things are spoiled and I don’t want to be tied for life to someone I cannot live with.”’ From That Woman, by Anne Sebba, first published 2012.

  ‘If I wake in the night, sometimes I imagine that I am at home in Bryanston Court and hear your footsteps coming down the corridor, the Evening Standard tucked under your arm. Darling Ernest, I can’t believe such a thing can
have happened to two people who got on so well.’

  ‘I wake up in the night sometimes and think I must be lying on that strange chaise longue and hear your footsteps coming down the passage of the flat and there you are with the Evening Standard under your arm. I can’t believe that such a thing could have happened to two people who got along so well.’ From That Woman, by Anne Sebba, first published 2012.

  ‘The US press has done untold harm in every direction besides printing wicked lies . . . Last time I went out I was followed everywhere by cameramen. Towards the end of the letter she wrote: I am sorry about Mary, I am sorry for myself, I am sorry for the King.’

  ‘“. . . the US press has done untold harm in every direction besides printing wicked lies – I feel small and licked by it all. I shall come back Wednesday afternoon but remain in seclusion as last time I went out I was followed everywhere by cameramen . . . I am sorry about the club ghosts, I am sorry about Mary – I am sorry for myself. I am sorry for the King.”’ From That Woman, by Anne Sebba, first published 2012.

  ‘“I think you’ll find that lots of people who used to lick Wallis’s boots are now saying they hardly knew her. Only the other day I heard Emerald Cunard claim she had met her ‘only once or twice’ and did not take to her.” . . . “She has been hateful towards me. Simply hateful.”’

  ‘“Lots of people who used to lick her boots are now saying they hardly knew her . . . Sally (Lally?) Cunard particularly, I’m told. Of course I did not see her. She has been hateful towards me and (I) can’t pretend that I’m sorry she has gone.”’ From The Other Mrs Simpson, by Anne Kirk Cooke and Elizabeth Lightfoot, first published 1977.