Free Other Women by Fiona McDonald Page A

the first of these serious liaisons was with a married woman, Freda (Winifred) Dudley Ward ( née Birkin).
    Winifred Birkin (1891–1983)was born into a well-to-do family. Her father, a colonel, owned a lace manufacturing business. His daughter had been given independence through a generous allowance, which meant that she was able to sustain a lavish lifestyle. When she was 18 she had married William Dudley Ward, age 34. Within the next five years their two girls were born. Ward was establishing his political career, which may have been one of the reasons that the couple decided not to divorce.
    So, Freda was 23 and a mother of two daughters when she first met Prince Edward. They met entirely by accident during an air raid in February 1918. Freda was married but she and her husband, having realised they were not compatible, had settled on an amicable solution where they lived quite separate lives. Freda had money and domestic staff to run her home and look after her children when she felt like socialising. After the marriage failed, she had not been slow to begin enjoying herself again; she had already had a couple of minor affairs.
    On the night she met the prince, Freda had been out dancing with a young man, Beau Dominguez. They were strolling through the streets when the air-raid siren went off. They immediately looked for shelter and rushed over to a nearby house. By chance it belonged to Mrs Maude Kerr-Smiley, who also just happened to be the older sister of Ernest Simpson. Although Wallis was not yet on the scene, she was already making an appearance; Ernest was her first husband.
    Mrs Kerr-Smiley ushered them into the house and straight down the stairs to the cellar where her own guests were sheltering until the German airships had gone. Freda and her beau soon realised the company they were in and Freda took no time in placing herself next to Edward. The two chatted away very cheerfully after their initial introduction and it turned out that they had a lot in common. They parted, each keen to see the other again soon.

    Freda Dudley Ward
    Friendship gave way to an affair without much delay. The prince took to Freda’s domestic situation with great enthusiasm. He played with the girls, had picnics and let Freda treat him as if he were just one of the children. Edward wrote to her frequently and the two of them had pet names for each other. Freda, however, knew of her position. It is likely that she had never wanted to be his wife but she knew it was impossible anyway, as he would have to renounce his claim to the throne if he married a divorcée, which she wasn’t anyway – she was still married.
    After the war Edward was forced to go on a tour of Canada, followed by America. In Alberta he bought a ranch with some expectation of discovering oil on it. He wrote to Freda telling her that all he wanted was to live there with her. Of course it was pure fantasy, they both knew that. Throughout the tour the prince wrote constantly to his lover, not only telling her of his daily doings but always declaring his passion for her and how much he missed her. More than 260 letters from Edward to Freda were discovered in the 1980s by a stamp collector. When they came to auction they realised an enormous sum. The letters are very revealing of the nature of the affair and how the prince referred to Freda as ‘Little Mummy’ and he was her ‘Little David’. Correspondence from Freda to the prince has not come to light, probably having been destroyed.
    If Edward thought his time in Canada was too long to be away from Freda then his trip to Australia and New Zealand the following year was even worse. His letters complain of his position and how he detested it; visiting numerous institutions and greeting hordes of people was something he thought he would never get used to or enjoy.
    What did Freda think of it all? How did she cope with her lover being away for so long and so often? Apparently she was already tiring of the affair and