PRINCE EDWARD ALBERT - FREDA DUDLEY WARD - HER HUSBAND - HER CHILDREN : BUT WHO KNEW THE RELATIONSHIP WAS SO CLOSE?

I suppose when your wife is the most desired woman by a Royal person, especially a Prince who will be King, there is not much you can say.  At least in this case William Dudley Ward wasn't sent away. Freda and William had two daughters before Freda had her affair with Prince Edward, and besides feeling comfortable in the home she made for them, he also reportedly adored the daughters. The four of them had fun together and the children called him Little Prince and were taught to think of as an uncle.

In this passage from Rachel Trethewey's book we learn that he was taking the role of husband and father.

Excerpt Page 263-264/1074 e-book : 

When they were together Edward and Freda created a happy environment for the girls. They never rowed; Freda told an interviewer that he was the gentlest, kindest, most thoughtful man imaginable.  Angie (one of the daughters) recalled how the heir to the throne always gave in to her mother; if she made a proposal to him he would reply, 'Anything to please, anything to please.' Freda explained that if she asked him for anything he was very generous and would give it to her immediately.  However, unlike Wallis (Simpson - the woman he would eventually marry and give up the throne for) she never exploited his generosity. He brought her gifts back from his tours and sent her sentimental presents, but there is no record of him giving her priceless jewelry. Freda used her power over him more for other people's benefit than her own. She once asked him to bail out a friend of hers, who was heavily in debt for several thousand pounds. The prince immediately wrote out a cheque without asking any questions.

*****

Much of London Society knew. His parents, the King and Queen did not.  At one point Prince Edward Albert wanted his siblings to meet Freda. The newspapers didn't report it thought the government knew.  Though they were seen golfing or going to the horse races together, and acted as if they were a married couple, it took a while for the King and Queen to hear rumors that their son was involved with a married woman who he could never marry.

Excerpt page 267-268/1074 e-book:

When his parents eventually asked the prince about his new relationship, he denied it, saying that he did not know Freda better than anyone else. When they later learned the truth they were horrified. The king snobbishly dubbed Freda 'the lace-maker's daughter.'  When Freda's friends heard about this comment they made a joke if it and started calling her 'Miss Loom.' after the weaver's daughter in the card game Happy Families.  Freda knew that the king and queen regarded her as 'a scarlet woman'. She believed that they were always pushing the prince to marry someone of his own rank.

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WORLD WAR TWO : AGNES KEYSER'S HOSPITAL BOMBED : SHE IS ACCEPTED FULLY BY KING GEORGE V AND QUEEN MARY ENJOYS A FRIENDSHIP WITH THE ROYAL FAMILY

 

In 192Agnes suffered the loss of her beloved sister Fanny who had been so instrumental in founding and administering the King Edward VII Hospital for officers. However, by the 1920's the hospital was not well enough funded. The location of the hospital was moved again and again as it struggled to survive. In January 1941, when the hospital was back to its original location at Grosvenor Crescent, the house was bombed in an air raid. "Agnes Keyser was never to recover from the shock of seeing her life's work so shattered. (Page 173)

However, she had not only the patronage of the King and Queen and their connections for her life's work - the hospital had provided medical care for hundreds of officers in three wars - but the respect she deserved for her unselfish efforts.

In her old age, the never married and childless Agnes, enjoyed invitations and outings with the Royals.

Excerpt page 173: "The diaries of King George V and Queen Mary confirm that Agnes Keyser was invited to stay at Abergeldie and dine at Balmoral for a few days each year between 1921 and 1935.  There she regularly joined the royal family on motor trips and picnics, cutting a rather eccentric figure striding over the heather in a bright mauve suit and an orange wig.  Their Balmoral garden walks were a special delight for Agnes at the king described his plans for a new pansy garden and alpine feature that was to evolve as ' Queen Mary's Garden'.  .... Sister Agnes could be relied upon to enliven the Balmoral conversation by repeating, not always with useful results, the talk of the town.  Agnes' gossip was said to include tidbits about the current indiscretions of the Prince of Wales; in this Agnes was deemed a part of an 'intelligence network' said to include Princess Victoria (King George's unmarried sister.)

Agnes moved to the countryside due to the bombings and declining health and passed in May of 1941. She left a personal estate of only 68,272 pounds. Her will provided that her property that had been used as the hospital and 25,000 pounds to continue as the hospital.  Small bequests such as personal items were distributed.

Excerpt pages 174-175 : ..."To Queen Mary she left two tables from her dining room at 16 Grosvenor Crescent, to Princess Mary (The Princess Royal) she left her "Elephant" cigarette lighter which King Edward VII had given her.... To Florence, Lady de la Rue, went the gold purse gifted to her by King George and Queen Mary and the gold cup given by Edward VII....

Note: Upon reading this I'm a bit surprised to learn that the King had gifted her some valuable treasures.