Edward VIII: (1894-1972) King of the United Kingdom January - December 1936. Later Duke of...

Edward VIII: (1894-1972)
King of the United Kingdom January - December 1936.
Later Duke of Windsor.

A double-sided handwritten love letter on plain paper, 4.75” x 7.75”, (12cm x 19.5cm), horizontally folded, dated “Buckhouse S. W. 12^th May 1919” to his mistress, Freda Dudley Ward:

“My darling beloved little Fredie

Bless you for your two sweet little letters which have made me so so happy particularly the last one saying that you are arriving back this evening & suggesting that I shld look in after the opera.

Oh! No I could’nt [sic] possibly do such a common thing as that !!!!

Sweetheart, how can you say “or shall we wait till Tues”? of course I must come & am so so overjoyed at the thought of seeing my own precious darling little girl again so soon. I ought to be able to get round about 12.00. & I’ll let myself in as I’ve (still) got the key!

It’s so so divine of you wanting your little David to come & you just can’t think how happy you’ve made him belov’d one & how much it makes him love & adore you.

I only wish I could come earlier but I’m told the opera can’t be over before 11.30 so it can’t be helped tho. I do say f !!!!

We lunched & dined with Rosemary & Eric at Fleet yesterday & brought Loughie back to 65 in my car afterwards. I went over to Swinley Heath in the afternoon where I played golf with Arthur of Connaught after which I looked up Violet at Fern Hill & saw the babies: it was the babies that I really went to see not that my visit was very much appreciated I don’t think tho. I just loved seeing them again sweetheart as they are so divine. But I’ll tell you all about it to-night & now I must stop or I shall be late for a family dinner.

What I think of the opera!! I’ve been “slumming” all the afternoon & have just had a game of squash with DO No 2 who is writing to Sheila which won’t surprise you.

So till midnight Fredie darling darling tho it’s a shame to keep you up so late tho how madly happy I am how how I’m looking forward to “after the opera” when I shall sleep & probably snore!!

All my very great love & more baisers than I’m capable of sending my very own darling beloved precious little Fredie

Bless you!!  
 
Your devoted & adoring petit amoureuse David”


Accompanied by the original hand-delivered (unfranked/unstamped) envelope, hand addressed by the Prince in pencil to “Mrs. W. Dudley Ward, 42 Great Cumberland Place W.”, and marked “Immediate (To await arrival)”,with date “May 12 - 19” and red seal verso

Freda Dudley Ward (1894-1983), Marquesa de Casa Maury, was a the married daughter of Nottinghamshire Deputy Lieutenant, Colonel Charles Wilfrid Birkin, JP, of Lamcote House, Radcliffe -on-Trent. She shared an illicit relationship with the Prince of Wales for some years from 1918, remaining close to the Prince until he met Wallis Simpson in 1934.

Sold with a newspaper article concerning the sale of similar letters in New York, plus a sale catalogue containing another similar letter displaying matching handwriting, layout and content.