Profumo Sex Scandal: Mandy Rice-Davies Dies

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 19 Desember 2014 | 20.14

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Gallery: Profumo Affair's Rice-Davies Dies

20 March 1963: Mandy Rice-Davies and Christine Keeler who became famous for their controversial involvement with War Minister John Profumo, which eventually led to his resignation

2 June 1963: Rice-Davies, a Welsh showgirl and witness in the Profumo affair, arrives at London Airport

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30 June 1963: British model Rice-Davies 'ill' in bed

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July 1963: Rice-Davies, the 18-year-old witness in the Ward case, wears a wide-brimmed, flower-trimmed hat and carries a mascot at London Airport for flight to Palma, Majorca

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Mandy Rice-Davies, a key figure in the Profumo sex scandal that rocked the British Establishment in the 1960s, has died.

A spokesman for publicist Hackford Jones said the 70-year-old had died from cancer.

The spokesman said: "It is with deep sadness that the family of Marilyn Foreman, also known as Mandy Rice-Davies, have confirmed that she passed away yesterday evening after a short battle with cancer.

"They have asked for their privacy to be respected and no further comment will be made."

Along with her friend Christine Keeler, the model and showgirl achieved notoriety in 1963 for her involvement in a sex and espionage scandal which led to the resignation of War Minister John Profumo and seriously discredited the Conservative government of Harold Macmillan.

Rice-Davies was also famous for her comment in court when told that a member of the House of Lords had denied he had ever met her.

To laughter in the court, she quipped: "He would, wouldn't he?"

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Gallery: Scandal

The scandal surrounding John Profumo rocked politics in the 1960s. He lied over his affair with Christine Keeler (R), pictured with her friend Mandy Rice-Davies

Mr Profumo was a rising star in the Conservative government. He rose to become Secretary of State for War in July 1960 and seemed destined to become a future Foreign Secretary - and possibly PM

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He also had a glamorous marriage to film actress Valerie Hobson, the star of classic Ealing comedies such as Kind Hearts And Coronets

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Born near Llanelli and raised in Solihull, Rice-Davies was a dancer and model in Soho when she met Keeler. Through Keeler's friend Stephen Ward, a well-connected osteopath, she was introduced to figures from high society, including politicians and peers.

One of their circle - whom Rice-Davies never met - was Profumo, with whom Keeler was having an affair. Keeler was at the same time involved with a Soviet attache.

When the scandal erupted, Profumo initially denied any involvement with Keeler, but was subsequently forced to resign. He withdrew from politics and dedicated the rest of his life to charitable works.

Rice-Davies testified at the trial of Ward, who was accused of living off immoral earnings, where she made her famous remark. Ward committed suicide before the verdict.

She subsequently traded on her notoriety, opening several nightclubs and restaurants. She later turned her hand to acting, appearing in films including Absolute Beginners.

The Profumo affair, occurring on the cusp of the Swinging Sixties and giving a glimpse of Establishment hypocrisy, caught the public imagination, inspiring the 1989 film Scandal, in which Rice-Davies was played by Bridget Fonda, and a 2013 musical scored by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Speaking of the scandal years later she said: "If I could live my life over, I would wish 1963 had not existed.

"The only reason I still want to talk about it is that I have to fight the misconception that I was a prostitute. I don't want that to be passed on to my grandchildren. There is still a stigma."

She was married three times and reportedly divided her time between homes in Miami, the Bahamas and Virginia Water, Surrey.

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