Christine Keeler: Biography, Profumo Affair, and Later Life

Few images from 1960s Britain are as instantly recognisable as the photograph of Christine Keeler on that chair — yet she is still remembered more as a scandal than as a person. Her affair with John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War, forced his resignation, shook Harod Macmillan’s government, and turned a 19-year-old model into a national obsession. This is the story of what actually happened, why she went to prison, and what the woman on the chair did with the rest of her life.

Full name: Christine Margaret Keeler ·
Born: 22 February 1942 ·
Died: 4 December 2017 ·
Occupation: Model, showgirl ·
Known for: Profumo affair ·
Conviction: Perjury (1963)

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts

Born 22 February 1942 in Uxbridge, Middlesex (Reuters (international news agency))
Jailed for perjury in 1963, not for the affair itself (BBC News (UK public broadcaster))
Died 4 December 2017 in Orpingon, Kent, aged 75 (Smithsonian Magazine (museum publication))

2What’s unclear

Whether her relationship with Profumo was love or a short-lived physical affair
Exactly when the affair ended — accounts differ (Wikipedia (crowdsourced encyclopedia))
Whether the scandal pushed Harold Macmillan out, or whether ill health was the decisive factor (Encyclopaedia Britannica (reference publisher))

3Timeline signal