The Profumo affair, which occurred in the early 1960s, was a scandal that rocked the British establishment and became one of the most significant political scandals of the 20th century. It involved allegations of espionage as well as illicit affairs. Over the course of several years, the claimed link that Prince Philip is said to have with the contentious issue has been a consistent topic of suspicion.
The popular television show "The Crown" even came close to addressing the controversial topic. The scope of the late Duke of Edinburgh's involvement in the infamous sex scandal has finally been revealed, thanks to records produced by the FBI and recently made public.
The papers from the United States Department of Justice indicate that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was made aware of Philip's personal involvement with the two women who were at the center of the scandal, as per New Idea Magazine. These women were Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies, who was a close friend of Keeler's.
John Profumo, who was married at the time, had a sexual relationship with Christine, a young showgirl, in 1963. Christine was a member of the entertainment industry.
In front of the House of Commons, Profumo denied that the affair had taken place. Later on, when evidence of the clandestine relationship became public, he was compelled to quit, which ultimately led to the collapse of the Tory administration that was in power at the time.
After it was discovered that Christine had been having sexual relations with a Russian agent during the height of the Cold War, the affair became a question of national security as well.
A party that was held by Stephen Ward, a well-connected osteopath who was rumored to be a friend of Prince Phillip, was when Christine was first introduced to Profumo.
During that time period, newspapers made allegations against Ward, claiming that he was a pimp for women. Following that, he was taken into custody and charged with surviving off of the earnings that Christine and her friend Mandy made from their prostitute transactions.
Thomas Corbally, a businessman from the United States who was a previous friend of Ward's, is alleged to have been the one who announced the shocking information regarding Philip's connections with the two young women, as per The Economic Times.
According to the newly discovered documents, on June 20, 1963, J. Edgar Hoover, who was serving as the director of the FBI at the time, dispatched a cable to the United States Embassy in London. “Corbally also stated there was a rumour Prince Philip may have been involved with these two girls,” it read.
Despite the fact that Christine, who passed away in 2017, never confirmed any personal connections with Philip, she had stated in the past that the prince was "unfaithful" to his wife, the late Queen Elizabeth II. In addition to this, she disclosed that Ward had discussed his friendship with the duke with her, stating that the two of them had shared a party together when they were younger.
Immediately following the publication of the documents that highlighted Philip's link to the controversy, Christine's son Seymour Platt made his voice heard. “This is another piece of evidence that supports my mother’s telling of the scandal. Whether it’s the FBI files or the MI5 documents released last year,” he stated.
It is obvious that Prince Philip is unable to deny his involvement in the scandal; nonetheless, it is highly likely that his son, King Charles, and the rest of the royal family will be extremely upset to see his name once again associated with such a scandal.
Business Times has reached out to King Charles for comments.
