Posted on 12/05/2017 1:48:02 PM PST by iowamark
The woman at the centre of the Profumo affair that helped define a decade, has died aged 75.
Often presented her as a femme fatale behind the downfall of two powerful men, she spent much of her life trying to shake off that image.
In 1963, she rocked the establishment when she had an affair with the Tory cabinet minister, John Profumo while also having a relationship with the Russian diplomat Yevgeny Ivanov at the height of the Cold War.
Her life is the subject of a BBC series which will be filmed next year and outlines her upbringing in Uxbridge, Middlesex where she was raised by her mother and stepfather.
It was as a cabaret dancer that she was thrust into the public eye when through the London party scene, she met Profumo, 46, who was secretary of state for war and Ivanov, who was the Russian military attache.
Profumo had to resign his post after he admitted he had lied to parliament about the affair. It was considered to be a factor behind the fall of the government led by Harold Macmillan, which was replaced by a Labour government in 1964 led by Harold Wilson.
It emerged in November 2017 that Profumo had a long-running relationship with a Nazi spy, according to newly released MI5 files with Gisela Winegard who may have tried to blackmail him.
Profumo dedicated his life to charity work and was awarded a CBE in 1975. He died in 2006, aged 91...
RIP.
I knew nothing of this before. The characters and costumes change, but the story remains the same.
I have a 1989 issue of Playboy that had an article about her. The writer confessed to having a big crush on Brigitte Bardot but after learning about Christine, Brigitte seemed to be not as real, lol. Believe that article discussed the new movie at the time “Scandal” that dealt with Keeler and intrigue she was involved in.
I remember all of this quite well. The other player was Mandy Rice-Davies.
Pretty good movie about this affair. Think it was called “Scandal”. Starred John Hurt I think.
The Profumo affair was huge news in 1963. The real tragedy for Britain was the Labour Wilson government in 1964.
“Where have all the swinging Londoners gone?”
“The Profumo affair was huge news in 1963.”
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Yep,and in those days it was considered absolutely scandalous—————in today’s society it would seem routine.
How low we have descended as a nation.
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IIRC Profumo first noticed her when he went to a country house for a party and spotted her swimming nude in the pool. A real looker back in the day.
Yes, Hurt played society osteopath Dr. Stephen Ward, who committed suicide as part of this scandal.
It was considered scandalous if the purveyors of scandal chose to make it so. At roughly the same time Profumo was dipping his wick in London, Ellen Rometsch was making her rounds about D.C. possibly bedding even JFK.
Nary a peep from the MSM was heard.
1963 was also the year that Harold Adrian Russell “Kim” Philby, British Intelligence officer defected to the Soviet Union after a lengthy career as mole for the Soviets.
Some quotes of his that could well be attributed to any dem.
“I am really two people. I am a private person and a political person. Of course, if there is a conflict, the political person comes first.”
“To betray, you must first belong.”
“It cannot be so very surprising that I adopted a Communist viewpoint in the 1930s; so many of my contemporaries made the same choice. But many of those who made that choice in those days changed sides when some of the worst features of Stalinism became apparent. I stayed the course.”
The Kennedys were untouchable !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The men were ALL sleazes,the woman were okay.
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"Eng-land swings like a pendulum do..." - Roger Miller
At Clivendon, the estate of the famous/infamous Astor family.
Okay. I’ll see your Roger Miller and raise you..
“Manchester England, England. Across the Atlantic sea.”
Now a candidate for appearing half naked and touted as sexy on the side column of a British tabloid.
Thanks for posting. I remember the names but know nothing about it. Interesting. Thanks to all posters.
History BUMP!
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