Christine Keeler.

I can't help feel a little sadness for Christine Keeler; a woman who was used, abused, maligned and ill treated by all except John Profumo and Stephen Ward. 

She didn't want to be treated as a victim but was and every time something came up this innocent, maybe naïve, woman was dragged on to the front pages of the newspapers.

She died two days ago and there is a famous photo of her on the front page of today's Guardian.(above)

She didn't quite have the street talk and quick wit, that her friend Mandy Rice-Davies had, who is quoted to this day; when she was told that so and so said something Rice-Davies said 'well he would say that, wouldn't he!'

That's why, when it is said today, it is preceded by 'as Mandy Rice-Davies would say:'

The fact of the matter is there was a very old fashioned, back in the Victorian times, incompetent Conservative Government in office and the Minister of War, John Profumo, who was married to a movie star, had many affairs with beautiful women. Christine caught his eye at a social occasion, organised by Stephen Ward, and said he fell in love with her; but what is love? 

He also had an affair, we have recently come to know, with a beautiful Nazi Spy.

Christine also slept with a Soviet spy and because of this Profumo was investigated and asked in Parliament the truth of the matter and he lied.

Of course Profumo could have told her parliamentary secrets, of course Christine could have told them to the Russian but we know that didn't happen.

I remember years later that some kind of award was given to Profumo for the good work he did after he gave up politics and public life, and I remember someone saying to me 'he sold his country down the river and they give him an award.' 

That was just typical, wasn't it.

Because Stephen Ward had introduced her, and Many Rice-Davies, to men he was charged and convicted of living off immoral earnings; he committed suicide before being sentenced.

Christine was sent to prison for perjury; she was being stalked by someone who actually fired a pistol at the flat where she was living and instead of saying she was being stalked she said she had been assaulted – some lie!

That gun shot brought down the government.

Here she is below in later years sitting in the same chair as in the famous photo.