London has been rocked by a series of salacious scandals over the years; here are the most infamous.
Sex, Politics and Espionage
The most scandalous event of 20th century Britain is forever linked to 1960s swinging London. In a nutshell, Tory War Secretary John Profumo was enjoying a fling with Christine Keeler, a topless dancer and model in Soho. At the time she was also sleeping with Eugene Ivanov, a Soviet Embassy employee. Seeing as the Cold War was in full swing, the FBI took note and carried out a detailed investigation of the affair to ascertain whether any of the parties were acting as spies. Profumo, who initially denied the relationship, had no choice but to resign. It didn’t end there however, as Stephen Ward, osteopath and socialite who also had a relationship with Keeler and acted as a pimp of sorts, was prosecuted for procuring prostitutes and took an overdose which killed him on the day of his trial. Reports surfaced of sex parties and naked men in gimp masks who were allegedly cabinet ministers – it was the age of free love after all. A month after the revelations, MP Harold Macmillan resigned; he claimed it was due to ill health but his leadership had taken a huge knock and it’s unlikely he would have returned to Downing Street after the next election.
Cruising on Clapham Common
Ron Davies resigned as Welsh Secretary of State in 1998 after what he called a “moment of madness”, referring to the occasion when he invited a stranger he’d met on Clapham Common into his car in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, Davies was mugged at knifepoint, and though he has never fully revealed what happened on the night, he later admitted to being bisexual – Clapham Common is a well-known cruising ground. This wouldn’t be the only scandal he would become embroiled in, as four years later he gave up his seat in the Welsh Assembly after The Sun newspaper claimed he’d enjoyed a frisson with a builder in another renowned cruising spot near Bath. The Labour party urged him to stand down despite his claim that he had merely been watching badgers; one wonders whether simply confessing the truth – that he enjoys \n\nPhone Hackers
In 2006, the News of The World newspaper was found guilty of hacking into the phones of royal aides, and both the paper’s royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire were jailed. Over the last few years more public figures have come forward alleging phone hacking, including Sienna Miller, Hugh Grant, Jude Law, PR to the stars Max Clifford and politician Tessa Jowell; in fact a lawyer has suggested the number of hacked phones may be as high as 7,000, although so far there’s been no revelation to match Prince Charles’ 1993 confession to then-mistress Camilla that he wished to be her tampon. No, this time round we merely discovered that Prince William wished to see a doctor about his knee. Regardless, those involved have had their privacy violated and many are suing the paper; Miller has already received £100,000 to settle her claim, and both the Metropolitan Police and Scotland Yard are continuing with their investigations. But perhaps the most startling piece of detective work was conducted by Hugh Grant, who wore a wire whilst in conversation with NoW journalist Paul McMullan and managed to record him admitting that the paper’s editor Rebekah Brooks was fully aware of the misconduct.
\n\nRonnie Kray’s Affairs
Conservative MP Lord Boothby was known for having a rapacious sexual appetite. It was the 1960s, when homosexuality was still illegal, and Boothby was initially introduced to gangster Ronnie Kray for him to procure young rent boys for his amusement. The Mirror newspaper got wind of this and published an account that left no doubt as to who the main characters were. Their scoop was intended to humiliate the Tory opposition, but they had no choice but to back down when Boothby telephoned Labour MP Tom Driberg, who was in a relationship with “Mad Teddy” Smith, also entangled with Ronnie Kray. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, aware of the goings-on, advised Boothby to sue; he was awarded £40,000 in an out-of-court settlement, the paper’s editor was sacked and they were forced to issue a formal apology. Consequently for the next few years the press stayed away from the Krays and their political associations, and it was in the interest of neither of the main parties to bring to light their activities for fear of what the duo may reveal about their members. Reporters who did attempt to investigate Boothby and Co are alleged to have suffered harassment and even violence, hence the twins continued their rule of the capital for many more years.
The Royal Wild Child
Quite what Prince Harry was thinking back in 2005 when he decided to dress up as a Nazi is anyone’s guess. Perhaps he thought it was a hilariously appropriate choice for the party he was attending, with its “colonials and natives” theme, however his older brother William had the sense to choose the rather more salubrious costume of a lion. The incident cemented Harry’s reputation as a wild child, after reports of scuffles with the paparazzi, smoking cannabis and inhaling laughing gas had surfaced previously. Calls were made for him to apologise, and eventually Clarence House issued a statement saying he now realised it was a poor choice of outfit and was sorry for any offence he had caused. Four years later he was recorded calling a fellow cadet “our little Paki friend”. Like father like son, some may say.
