Without the need to detract from the lies in Parliament, it’s likely Keeler, Rice-Davies and Ward could have continued their hedonistic lifestyle for as long as they wished, free from the judgement of society. The intelligence services and the police would also not have needed to investigate the circles Profumo was moving in, they would not have needed to be seen to be moral guardians, and neither would the courts have been put in that position.
Could something similar happen today?
Sixty years on from the Profumo Affair, it’s clear much has changed. We have systems in place that ensure civil servants are monitored and given guidance on how to behave. Independent bodies regulate criminal investigations. But recent events tell us that the morals of our politicians, and even our police force, are not always what they should be.
The ramifications of Profumo’s indiscretion and dishonesty are still felt today. Both representatives of Stephen Ward and Christine Keeler are looking for pardons for the criminal charges brought against them because of the scandal. They both have strong arguments that their cases did not follow correct procedures and were in fact miscarriages of justice. If the events of 1961 to 1963 taught us anything, it’s never too late for the authorities to do the right thing
If Keeler was a young woman involved with a married politician today, she would surely be assured a lucrative media career rather than public condemnation, and most likely in reality TV. Disgraced Health Minister Matt Hancock, for example, had no need to quietly go about years of charity work in the East End. Instead, he headed to the I’m a Celebrity jungle in 2022 and collected a large paycheque for doing so. In an interesting coincidence, Keeler herself was invited to compete in the very first series of the show. She turned it down, says her son, because of her fear of spiders. I would think she should be far more wary of snakes!
Timeline of Events
1912
19 October – Stephen Ward born
1915
30 January – John Profumo born
1926
11 January – Yevgeny ‘Eugene’ Ivanov born
1942
22 February – Christine Keeler born
1944
21 October – Marilyn Rice-Davies born
1958
Keeler’s son Peter is born prematurely but dies six days later
22 March – Keeler attains first modelling job, Tit-Bits photoshoot
April – Keeler leaves Wraysbury
1959
January/February – Keeler has moved to Slough with her aunt, later she moves to St John’s Wood Park and then Swiss Cottage in London
Late spring/early summer – Keeler starts work at Soho’s Murray’s
Summer – Keeler meets Ward and moves into Orme Court (as friends)
1960
January – Keeler moves into Rachman’s Bryanston Mews house with Sherry Danton
27 March – Ivanov arrives in England
Keeler moves back to Orme court
At Murray’s, Keeler meets Rice-Davies
Keeler and Rice-Davies move into shared flat in Comeragh Road
4 November – Lucky Gordon, who is living in Denmark, is imprisoned for stabbing a girl, and will be deported back to UK
Keeler becomes Rachman’s mistress
1961
20 January – Coote invites Ivanov to Garrick Club where he meets Ward
January/February – Lord Astor gives Christine a cheque for £100 that she uses to pay the rent on the flat she shares with Rice-Davies
Rice-Davies becomes Rachman’s mistress
February – Keeler and Rice-Davies holiday in France together
Keeler and Rice-Davies move into Holland Park flat, but Keeler later leaves to move in with a boyfriend
March – Keeler, having broken up with her boyfriend, moves into 17 Wimpole Mews with Ward
Rice-Davies moves in with Peter Rachman
