A tale of what might have been

Precious little is known for sure about Millicent Milroy (1890-1894). But this much is engraved in stone: “Millicent Milroy A.M.M.M. St. Daughter of James and Helen Milroy, 1890 — Wife of Edward V111, 1894.

The tombstone, at Mountain view Cemetery, in Ontario, was engraved by Ms. Milroy herself shortly after the death of the Prince of Wales in 1972. Until she died in 1984, the former school teacher maintained that she had met Edward at the Iroquois Hotel in Galt during one of his visits to North America, and had married him. There are several versions of the story, including the speculation that two boys, Edward and Andrew, were born of the union and had been adopted,with Edward having made secret arrangements.

After playwright Gary Kirkham heard the story on CBC, he visited the gravesite. His imagination went wild and he resolved to dig a little deeper. During his research, the clerk at the library instantly recognized his subject and said “Oh you mean Milli,” and Kirkham’s first full length award-winning play, was conceived.

“You have an irresponsible man and a very down-to-earth woman,” he explains. Kirkham attributes the play’s success to its actors. “In the end, the paper is not the art form. It’s the actors on stage, not the words on the page.” Info: 514-631-8718.