Great Events in London History: The Profumo Affair – The Scandal That Shook London Society

If you’re looking for a story that has everything – sex, spies, society parties, and political intrigue – look no further than the Profumo Affair of 1963. This scandal rocked London’s establishment to its core and helped bring the curtain down on the stuffy, deferential era of the 1950s.

The drama centered around three main characters: John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War; Christine Keeler, a 19-year-old showgirl; and Stephen Ward, an osteopath and society portrait artist who moved in both high society and London’s underground world. Their paths crossed at Cliveden House, the magnificent Thames-side mansion of Lord Astor, during a summer party in 1961.

The scandal might have remained just another upper-class indiscretion if not for one crucial detail: Keeler was simultaneously involved with Yevgeny Ivanov, a Soviet naval attaché (and suspected spy). The idea that the Secretary of War might be sharing a mistress with a Soviet spy during the height of the Cold War was explosive.

London society buzzed with rumors throughout 1962, but the story truly exploded in March 1963. Profumo made a personal statement to the House of Commons denying any impropriety with Keeler – a denial that would prove to be his undoing. When the truth emerged three months later, he was forced to resign not for the affair itself, but for lying to Parliament.

The affair exposed the seamy underbelly of London’s supposedly respectable society. Stephen Ward’s flat in Wimpole Mews became infamous as a meeting place where titled aristocrats mingled with showgirls and criminals. The Establishment tried to contain the scandal by making Ward the scapegoat, charging him with living off immoral earnings. He took his own life on the last day of his trial at his London flat.

Some fascinating details from the period survive. The notorious photo of Christine Keeler straddling a chair was taken at a studio in Peter Bayne’s Court, South Kensington. The Flamingo Club in Wardour Street, where many of the key players socialized, still exists (though under a different name). And Murray’s Cabaret Club in Beak Street, where Keeler worked as a showgirl, is now a trendy restaurant.

The scandal changed London in profound ways. It exposed the hypocrisy of an establishment that preached morality while behaving badly in private. It helped fuel the social revolution of the 1960s, as younger people rejected the old codes of deference and secrecy. And it marked the beginning of modern political journalism, as reporters began questioning authority rather than protecting it.

The affair left its mark on London’s landscape. You can still visit many key locations: the Garrick Club where Profumo was a member, the House of Commons where he made his fatal denial, and Stephen Ward’s former home in Wimpole Mews. The Thames-side swimming pool at Cliveden where Profumo first spotted Keeler still exists, though the house is now a luxury hotel.

Some lesser-known aspects of the scandal include the role of Mandy Rice-Davies, Keeler’s friend who achieved immortality with her court testimony about Lord Astor: “He would say that, wouldn’t he?” The phrase entered the English language as shorthand for cynical dismissal. The scandal also inspired several works of art, including the film “Scandal” and the musical “Stephen Ward” by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The repercussions were enormous. Harold Macmillan’s government never recovered from the scandal, and he resigned as Prime Minister later that year, citing ill health. The Conservative Party lost the 1964 election, and British politics entered a new era. The affair also led to reforms in how the security services operated and how the media covered politicians’ private lives.

Today, the Profumo Affair seems both distant and surprisingly modern. The basic elements – sex, power, privilege, and cover-up – continue to fuel political scandals. But the world it exposed, of a small elite running Britain through gentleman’s clubs and country house parties, has largely disappeared.

Profumo himself achieved a measure of redemption, spending the rest of his life doing charitable work in London’s East End. He was eventually awarded the CBE for his efforts, though he never spoke publicly about the scandal. Christine Keeler remained in London but struggled with the notoriety until her death in 2017.

Next time you’re walking past the Houses of Parliament or through Marylebone’s elegant streets, remember the scandal that once gripped these locations. The Profumo Affair didn’t just end political careers – it helped create modern Britain, where privilege and power could no longer hide behind closed doors and polite silence.