The Sandwich of Destiny

19/12/2020

2020 is fast coming to a close. This year has meant turmoil for everyone, a lot of people have been financially and emotionally impacted by this pandemic, others have been luckier and just inconvenienced by this new normal. My family and I are looking forward to Christmas together and are hoping that nothing stops that from happening, that we all remain well and hoping that next year is better for everyone.

This time last year the BBC drama The Trial of Christine Keeler was about to air and our campaign to recognise that Chris should never had gone to prison was about to start. My life changed as I understood what Chris had asked me to do in her will: “To make sure that the truth is told about events of which I took part during my lifetime”.

Christine Keeler was not a prostitute and Christine Keeler was not a liar. Christine Keeler, and she would have hated me saying it, was a victim.

There are of course people who will say, “...but she was a liar, she lied on oath when she said two men did not witness a crime” but when those two men made it clear to Christine they wanted nothing to do with the police, when those two men washed their hands of any responsibility to help convict a man who had assaulted her, Christine had a terrible choice - either don’t mention the witnesses to the police or just don’t report the assault, those were her choices.

“Or just don’t report the assault” - and face yet another assault by Lucky Gordon, and next time it could be worse, what a terrible choice.

There is a story I was told recently by someone who interviewed one of the police officers who was there in 1963. When Christine was questioned in connection with Stephen Ward the ex-police officer said, “We knew Christine was a prostitute because at the end of the interview she took the uneaten sandwiches with her. That is something prostitutes do and that is how we knew”

If only she had left those sandwiches. Would our history be different today?

For some of us the world has changed a lot since 1963. Chris told me how they would eat a lot of vegetarian spaghetti bolognese, which was basically spaghetti and tinned tomatoes, and there were of course a lot of sandwiches. She saw an avocado in the early sixties and at the time she thought they looked like a very bad idea!

At the beginning of 2020 I went to an art exhibition dedicated to my mother, Dear Christine - A tribute to Christine Keeler, the brainchild of Fionn Wilson and a celebration of Christine. There was art, music and poetry, it was very beautiful. People said nice things about Christine and she would have said how she hated all the fuss and attention.

By Fionn Wilson

After the exhibition I went out with friends, including one of Christine’s old friends, Desmond Banks, and we had a few drinks, laughed together and had a glass of scotch, Christine’s favourite tipple. Thanks to the pandemic that would have been one of the last times I was out with friends.

This website was published and lots of you sent kind messages and still do. A lawyer, James Harbridge, made contact and offered to help with Christine’s pardon, pro bono, and with lots of hard work he took a campaign page on a website and turned it into a legal document and so much more.

Felicity Gerry QC has taken on the fight pro bono and by the end of 2020 I feel we have a chance of correcting a part of history, telling that ‘truth’ that Christine talked about in her will.

2020 has had its downs, but it’s had some ups.

Merry Christmas everybody, may you love and may you be loved too.

2 Comments

3/1/2021 05:14:43 pm

Happy New year to you, and here’s to a much better 2021

I was struck by something you said about your mum that got me thinking......she told you that “ if you want to keep a secret - tell no one “

When you consider the sealed papers from the denning report and how they won’t be opened for another quarter of a century I wonder if you think she new their secrets and why do you think that she would always insist they would exonerate her?

Tom Mangold in his documentary seemed to imply the sensitive information contained within them related to another MP whose, shall we say, extra marital foibles/fetishes would leave him open to blackmail and divulging government / national secrets.

The crown in one of their episodes intimated some sort of involvement with / by Prince Philip. It was suggested that Stephen Wards portraits of the royals were purchased by the palace to save any embarrassment.

Whilst Andrew Lloyd Webber, whom insists that his questions in the House of Lords in relation to the Profumo affair were side stepped, believes the closed papers contain certain information that came to light regarding a spy ring within the establishment.

Do you think it is possible / likely that your mum knew secrets and took them with her when she passed?

Given what you know now, if you could turn back the clock and ask your mum, Gordon, Profumo and Ward one question about events of 1961 - 63 what would they be?

Seymour

3/1/2021 09:05:59 pm

Hi DC

Happy new year to you too

You ask an interesting question - Christine learned through experience that if you want to keep a secret tell nobody, she learned the hard way.

Chris maintained she told Denning everything -
1. That will include spying allegations - suspicious things SW did and people around him.
2. Who was at the orgies and who was screwing who - which may include that MP, although Chris wouldn’t have given that any importance at all.
3. The secrets (true or false) that she had heard while living with SW ie faulty wiring nearly launching a UK missile. A secret about a royal.

If I could go back and ask one question - So many!!! Presuming i get an honest answer

SW - were you a spy or a blackmailer or quite innocent?

John Hamilton Marshall - why did you go to the police and exaggerate about your fight with Chris (police not my words, the judges summing up) why did you do that because it meant you sister would go to prison? He is quoted as saying ‘Paula (sister) is for Keeler and I was for Ward.. seems pointless now’ why where you for Ward over your sister?

The Judge who overturned LG conviction in July 63 - the reason and the evidence where kept secret - the two witnesses actually confirmed the attack - why did you overturn it?

Chief inspector Samuel Herbert - where did the £30,000 in your bank come from

just a few questions hard to pick one.

The Sandwich of Destiny

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