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...
I remember it very well.
First time I ever heard the words, “call girl”. At least they were pretty which I can’t say for some of the girls involved in more recent scandals.
Hardly anything is said about Yevgeny Ivanov. According to him, his affair with Keeler wasn’t reported to his bosses in Moscow, because it was just a private fling. His wife left him over the affair, so who knows.
He was recalled to the USSR in 1962, well before the Profumo affair broke. Seems like he had dibs on Keeler first.
She is pretty.
Who is she?
And one day Macmillan was coming downstairs,Al Stewart, Post World War Two Blues
A voice in the dark caught him unawares
It was Christine Keeler blowing him a kiss
He said "I never believed it could happen like this
But oh, every time I look at you
I feel so low I don't know what to do
Well every day just seems to bring bad news
Leaves me here with the post World War Two Blues"
John Hurt was in it, but Ian McKellen (with shaved head to try and look like the middle aged original) played John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War (and hence a potential target for Soviet blackmail) who was involved with the 19 year old Keeler. She was also shagging the Naval Attache (read KGB spy) at the Soviet embassy. Quaint by today’s standards, but probably the sort of thing the Democrats are dreaming about for anyone in Trump’s circle.
Bkmrk.
I don’t really recall the details because well, times were different and I was a fair tad younger at the time, but this was the hottest of hot salacious “hottie brings down a government” scandals. Kind of interesting that her death brings it up at this particular time.
The real tragedy was Edward Heath beating out Enoch Powell for leadership of the Tories.
Mandy Rice-Davies
What became of her?
My father (USMC) was stationed at the Pentagon at that time so in our household news like that was quite discussed. Anyway, it was a big deal.
Guess that's why they call it "acting".
Not guilty.
5.56mm
Joanne Whaley Kilmer
Ex of Doc Holiday
"'Cause London's drowning and I....I live by the river."
Since about half or more professional actors are fudge packers pretending to be straight is a basic skill.
I was always fascinated with photos of her. When politicians’ girlfriends looked good.
Joanne Whaley Kilmer
Ex of Doc Holiday
She’s currently Margaret Duchess of Burgundy...sister of Edward IV of England and great great aunt to Henry VIII
Thanks, she doesn’t look that old.
The Labour governments were very anti-communist.
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