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John Profumo, the 46-year-old Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan 's Conservative government, had an extramarital affair with the 19-year-old model Christine Keeler beginning in 1961. Profumo denied the affair in a statement to the House of Commons in 1963; weeks later, a police investigation proved that he had lied.
When did Profumo resign? Profumo was forced to admit to Parliament that Keeler had been his mistress and that he had lied to the Commons. Sex, lies and Soviets? This was the stuff that could topple a government. He had to resign, which he did on 4 June 1963.
Mar 19, 2022 · The Profumo Affair, a dalliance between the UK’s middle-aged Secretary of State for War and a 19-year-old model, led to a Cold War-era political and national security scandal. Mar 19, 2022 • By Stephanie Jelks, MPhil History, MA History, BA Political Science. John Profumo arrives at the House of Commons, 1962.
- Keeler worked in a nightclub when she first moved to London. In 1959 Dr Stephen Ward, a noted osteopath, was visiting Murray’s nightclub in Soho when he met Keeler.
- Profumo and Keeler first met at Lord Astor’s pool. In July 1961 Ward was entertaining a few friends, including Keeler, at a cottage he rented from Lord Astor.
- There were allegations that Keeler and Ward were Soviet spies. On the day following that first meeting, all the guests congregated at the pool. These included a recent acquaintance of Ward, married Soviet attaché Eugene Ivanov.
- The affair lasted less than two months. Within a few days, John Profumo had persuaded Ward to help him make contact with Christine Keeler and the minister was soon having an affair with the young, aspiring model.
From 1963: Mollie Panter-Downes on the affair between John Profumo and Christine Keeler, which brought down the government of British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.
Nov 29, 2016 · Parliamentary Debates, 5th Series, Vol. 679, Col. 53, 1963. In 1963, Harold Macmillan’s government became engulfed by a scandal concerning John Profumo’s relationship with Christine Keeler. The Profumo affair was a political, media and cultural event, and i...
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Christine Keeler, the model at centre of Profumo Affair, on July 22, 1963. Credit: AP. The Government is expected to face severe criticism over the Profumo episode when Parliament resumes on ...
