Love letter from Edward VIII to his OTHER mistress Freda Dudley Ward moaning about 'pompous' royal life sells for £7,000
- The four page letter fetched almost 12 times its pre-sale estimate of £400-£600
- It was written by the then-Prince of Wales in 1919, when he was aged 25
- The letter was bought by a UK-based telephone bidder at an auction held today
- Edward wrote the letter to his mistress while aboard the ship HMS Renown
A love letter from Edward VIII which reflects his disenchantment with life as a royal, years before he met Wallis Simpson, has sold at auction for £7,117.
The four-page letter, written by the then-Prince of Wales in 1919, aged 25, fetched almost 12 times its pre-sale estimate of £400 to £600.
It was bought by a UK-based telephone bidder, who asked to remain private, at Cheffins auctioneers in Cambridge today.
Edward wrote the letter to his mistress Freda Dudley Ward, who was at the time married to Liberal MP William Dudley Ward, while aboard the ship HMS Renown as it took him on a royal tour of Canada.
Their affair continued until 1934, only ending when Edward became involved with American socialite Mrs Simpson, who he met in 1930.
Edward reigned as king from January 1936 until December of the same year, when he abdicated to marry divorcee Mrs Simpson.
Charles Ashton, a director at Cheffins, said Edward’s 1919 letter to Mrs Dudley Ward gives a window into his 'disenchantment with his life as a royal'.
A love letter from Edward VIII which reflects his disenchantment with life as a royal, years before he met Wallis Simpson, has sold at auction for £7,117. Pictured: Edward (second left) and Prince George of Hanover (far right) with Freda Dudley Ward (second right), and Viscountess Furness (left)
Pictured: The love letter from Edward VIII which was sent to Freda Dudley Ward and reflects his disenchantment with life as a royal, years before the constitutional crisis over Wallis Simpson
In the letter, Edward refers to speeches he had made, writing: 'What I think of all this official wonk and these cornie pompous stunts and I’ve made no less than 7 speeches today.'
He described Canadian prime minister Robert Borden, whom he had dined with, as 'such a stick and deadly dull except re politics and I can’t tackle him on that subject'.
Mr Ashton said: 'This letter saw some significant pre-sale interest, with over 20 separate parties leaving absentee bids, as well as a number of telephone bidders and those online.
'The letters between the prince and his married lover are of importance as they shed light on the very personal feelings and passions of the future King Edward VIII, which strong sentiments then re-emerged in no less a way in his love for Wallis Simpson.
'Edward VIII was known to be a prolific letter writer, with at least 300 of his letters being offered to the market in a significant sale in 2003.
'The majority of these are now in private hands and very few have surfaced to the market since.
'The market is truly alive and well for autographs and letters, with a significant number of private collectors who were out in force at today’s library sale.'
Edward told his mistress he would be spending a day at Prince Edward Island, one of eastern Canada's maritime provinces, writing: 'I don't think it will be very strenuous as it's such a pip squeak province'.
Expressing how much he misses her, he added: 'I do love you, love you, my very own blessed little Fredie darling & I find life very hard & dour without you......it's hell when we are parted sweetheart & when I can't hear you say all your divine things which is what keeps me alive.'
Edward, for whom sex had been a major preoccupation for him since 1916, when his equerries introduced him to a French prostitute called Paulette, was known to have written hundreds of letters to Mrs Dudley Ward, many of which were destroyed or lost.
In one he asked her to come up to London ‘to give me that hiding’.
In another he wrote: ‘I do need you so so badly to chase me into bed with a big big stick.’
Freda and Edward first met during a Zeppelin raid in March 1918, after Freda took refuge in the doorway of a grand house in Belgrave Square, London.
A party, with the Prince of Wales among the guests, was taking place, and when the hostess invited Freda inside, Edward was captivated, according to Before Wallis: Edward VIII's Other Women, by Rachel Trethewey.
Freda had married William Dudley Ward shortly before her 19th birthday in 1913, and together they had two daughters, Penelope ('Pempie') and Angela ('Angie').
By the time Freda met the prince, however, the marriage was under strain. And when, in 1917, her husband William, or 'Duddie', was made vice-chamberlain to the Royal Household – a job that took him away from home – a bored Freda found new ways of amusing herself; among them, a growing dalliance with the most eligible bachelor in the world.
Soon, the besotted couple found ways to be together almost every day. Physically they were well matched.
Indeed, Freda’s power over Edward was emotional as much as sexual.
She was not just the prince’s lover but also his confidante who seemed almost to wield the authority of a dominatrix.
As he repeatedly begged her to marry him, Edward demonstrated an unsettling level of devotion, frequently abasing himself with baby talk in letters to his ‘precious darling little Mummie’ and even begging for punishment.
When not in London, Freda stayed at Kilbees Farm, near Windsor, owned by one of her husband's sisters, and the couple could meet there undetected.
Edward's passion for his married mistress became all-consuming and if they were apart, he would phone her four or five times a night. If she were not at home, he was bereft.
Freda Dudley Ward married William Dudley Ward, a Liberal MP, shortly before her 19th birthday
He spent much of the 1920s on a series of Royal tours around colonies to thank them for their war effort.
While he was away, he bombarded Freda with dozens of letters written to 'My Angel' and signed with 'tons and tons of love from your E'.
For Freda, though, the idea of marrying or running away was ridiculous. As she was already married there would have to be a divorce, and his parents and the Church would never have allowed it.
The £7,117 sale price includes the buyer’s premium of 24.5% and VAT.
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