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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.
The Profumo Affair was a political scandal in the United Kingdom in which the Secretary of State for War, John Profumo, had a sexual affair with a 19-year-old model, Christine Keeler, who was also linked to a Soviet spy.
- 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.
Sixty years ago, British politician John Profumo was forced to resign after he lied to the House of Commons over his relationship with call girl Christine Keeler.
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.
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.
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Feb 1, 2020 · John Profumo was forced to resign as Secretary of State for War in 1963 after he admitted lying to the Commons when he denied any "impropriety" with a young model, Christine Keeler.
