Before Wallis

We all know what happened after Edward, Prince of Wales, met Wallis Simpson. But what about the women that Edward was involved with before Wallis, and what might have been if Edward had chosen one of them? This book gives us a much better understanding of Lady Rosemary Sutherland-Levenson-Gower, Freda Dudley Ward, and Thelma Furness.

One of my own areas of interest is the social work of the daughter and daughters-in-law of King George V and Queen Mary. Princess Mary volunteered as a nurse during WWI, organized a Christmas gift for all the soldiers serving in the war, and served as patron to the Girls Guide. Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon helped care for wounded soldiers at her childhood home, Glamis Castle, before going on to marry the future King George VI. Lady Alice Montagu Douglass Scott promised to dedicate her life to public service after a near drowning at age 14, and got the opportunity when she married Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester. Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, a Romanov descendant, requested that Russian seamstresses be employed to work on her wedding dress and continued to serve the crown after the death of her husband, the Duke of Kent. Even Wallis worked for the Red Cross and promoted infant welfare during Edward's stint as Governor-General of the Bahamas.

Lady Rosemary would have fit in splendidly with this esteemed group. She assisted with her mother's charity work from a young age and was working as a nurse in a field hospital when she first became involved with the Prince of Wales. The fact that she was the daughter of a Scottish aristocrat, like Elizabeth and Alice, would have been an interesting coincidence! (Princess Marina referred to her sisters-in-law, who husbands outranked hers, as "those common Scottish girls.")

Unfortunately, the king vetoed Rosemary as a choice of bride for Edward because of her relations. Her mother was about to divorce her second husband, and her aunt had demanded money or else she would publish love letters written to her by Edward VI. Rosemary would go on to marry a viscount and continue her life of public service until her untimely death in 1930. Edward never again linked to an eligible single woman, as Freda, Thelma, and Wallis were all married women.

Freda also embraced public service, starting The Feathers Association to help the poor and hungry during the Great Depression. During her relationship with the prince, she provided a sounding board for his ideas and provided stability and encouragement. If she had been single, she would have made an excellent consort.

I'm racking my brain trying to think of something positive to say about Thelma Furness, but the only good thing she really did was to introduce Edward to a wittier woman than her, Wallis. But it's interesting to note that during her relationship with Edward, Thelma got on well the Duke and Duchess of Kent and often socialized with them. The same could not be said of her successor.

This was a fascinating biography of three women set up in two parts to show the before and after of their relationships with the Prince of Wales. I also found it to be a quick read.