He was central to one of the most notorious political scandals of the twentieth century. In 1963, he was an important member of the Conservative government in Britain, serving as Minister for War (an office which no longer exists). Whispers about an alleged affair with a much younger woman named
Christine Keeler had been going around London since 1961 with no mention of it in the press; it had been over for some time when Ms. Keeler failed to appear in a London court to give evidence in a minor prosecution about another of her lovers. When the story seemed about to resurface, Profumo took the surprising step of issuing a flat denial of impropriety in a statement in the House of Commons, and was later forced to admit that this had been a lie. His career in politics was ruined, but he had a second career in charity work which led to his being honored by the crown. The story of the "Profumo Affair" was the basis of the 1989 film, "Scandal".
