Christine Keeler and Stephen Ward
The scandal that rocked the early 1960s
1963
Christine Keeler was a young model whose affair with a married Cabinet minister shook the British establishment. The story began on 8 July 1961 with a party held at Cliveden, the Buckinghamshire estate owned by the 3rd Viscount Astor. Keeler, then 19 years old, was introduced to John Profumo, Secretary of State for War in the Conservative government of Harold Macmillan, and the two began an affair. However, she simultaneously became involved with Captain Yevgeny (Eugene) Ivanov, a Russian military attaché. Details of the events did not finally emerge for some time. In the context of the Cold War, there was great concern about the potential security implications of Keeler’s liaisons. As rumours circulated, Profumo misled Parliament in March 1963 by denying impropriety, before ultimately resigning in disgrace.
The scandal also exposed behaviour that was out of tune with the prevailing moral sensibilities. Integral to this was Dr Stephen Ward, the man who introduced Keeler to both Profumo and to Ivanov. Ward was a well-connected 48-year-old osteopath, and his home in Wimpole Mews, Marylebone, provided the venue for many of Keeler and Profumo’s encounters. Revelations of Ward’s hedonistic lifestyle caused outrage. Lord Denning’s report on the affair, published in September 1963, referred to him as an ‘utterly immoral’ man who ‘did not confine his attention to promiscuity’. ‘There is evidence that he was ready to arrange for whipping and other sadistic performances’, it continued.
This letter from Conservative backbench MP Captain Henry Kerby to Anthony Barber, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, illustrates the moral disapproval towards ‘this disgraceful case’. With rumours and allegations swirling as to the true nature of Keeler’s work, Kerby disparagingly refers to her as a ‘so-called “model”’. He uses similar language in relation to Ward – a ‘so-called “Dr”’ – though it should also be noted that osteopathy was not at that time recognised as a branch of medicine. Kerby’s main concern here, however, was Christine Keeler’s tax affairs. Barber’s reply, dated 3 May, did not comment specifically on Keeler or Ward. Referring to ‘the activities of prostitutes and others living on immoral earnings’, the minister noted that ‘You will not be surprised to learn that such people are not in the habit of mentioning these activities by name in their Income Tax returns’.
Matters regarding income facilitated the criminal charges brought against Stephen Ward. The resulting trial shone further light on the lifestyle of Ward and his associates. Keeler testified against him, as did her former flatmate Mandy Rice-Davies. When Ward’s defence counsel pointed out that Lord Astor denied having even met her, Rice-Davies famously replied ‘Well he would, wouldn’t he’. Ward was eventually convicted on 31 July 1963 of two counts of living off immoral earnings. The trial and verdict remain controversial, recently becoming the subject of a book by the distinguished barrister Geoffrey Robinson QC, entitled Stephen Ward Was Innocent, OK: The Case for Overturning his Conviction.
Ward was not in court to learn of his fate. He lay in a coma having attempted to take his own life the night before, and died on 3 August. In December 1963, Keeler was convicted of perjury for her testimony in the trial of Aloysius ‘Lucky’ Gordon, a former lover whom she accused of violence towards her. Sentenced to nine months in prison, Keeler withdrew from the media spotlight upon her release. John Profumo’s marriage to the actress Valerie Hobson survived the scandal, and he dedicated the remainder of his life to charity work. He was awarded a CBE in 1975 and died in 2006.
