Profumo scandal icon Christine Keeler denied posthumous Royal pardon

Profumo scandal icon Christine Keeler has been denied a posthumous Royal pardon - to the anger of her family. Justice chiefs refused an application for a Royal Prerogative of Mercy (RPM) that would have overturned the model's 1963 perjury conviction. Christine's family have vowed to clear her name, claiming the prosecution was part of a plot to smear her after her affair with Tory war minister John Profumo in the 1960s. In a letter seen by the Mirror, Ministry of Justice officials recognised Christine had experienced an "injustice" but said "it is neither possible nor practical to reassess past events through the lens of today’s justice system or to apply modern standards and views". They also ruled there was "no new evidence" and "no exceptional or extraordinary factors" to grant a RPM. Christine's won, Seymour Platt, criticised the decision, which comes just days after Justice Secretary David Lammy granted nightclub hostess Ruth Ellis, 28, an RPM more than 70 years after she became the last woman hanged in the UK for fatally shooting her playboy lover in 1955. Seymour, 53, who now lives in Longford, Ireland, with wife Lorraine, and their daughter, Daisy, said : "I'm delighted that Ruth Ellis has been granted the posthumous pardon - it is right that the Government recognised she was suffering and put in a terrible position by an abusive husband. "They should have recognised there was an injustice. They have recognised that my mum experienced injustice, but they are not willing to act on it." He added: "This won't stop us though, it fuels the fire, it makes me more determined than ever to overturn her conviction." Christine's affair with Profumo toppled the Tory government. It was the most infamous sex scandal ever to rock British politics and was turned into the hit BBC drama The Trial of Christine Keeler, which attracted millions of viewers. But just months after the scandal broke, Christine was jailed for perjury in an unrelated case. She had been attacked by stalker Aloysius "Lucky" Gordon in April 1963. He was convicted of assault in June of that year and jailed for three years. But he appealed against the conviction in December, citing inaccuracies in Christine's courtroom testimony against him. The Court of Appeal overturned his conviction after it emerged that although two men witnessed the incident, Christine had testified they were not there. Rudolph "Truello" Fenton and Clarence Camacchio are thought to have pressured Christine not to involve them in the case. Her family argue there was no doubt the assault took place and that Christine lived in fear of Gordon. In Christine's will after her death aged 75 in 2017, she she begged Seymour to "tell the truth about her life". Last year justice watchdogs rejected an application to send her perjury case to the Court of Appeal. The Criminal Cases Review Commission accepted she could not have had a fair trial, particularly in view of the unprecedented prejudicial media coverage. But it said: "In quashing the perjury conviction, the Court of Appeal would have a Miscarriage very limited ability to of justice.. correct the public her record in relation to matters [her] part in the all women Profumo affair." Christine's family lodged a 300-page dossier in May last year calling for a royal prerogative of mercy (RPM), which would allow the King to pardon her. But now the Ministry of Justice have refused the application. Seymour said: “The Ministry of Justice has now formally acknowledged that my mother suffered an injustice. That matters. But refusing a pardon while accepting an injustice is a contradiction that cannot stand. This is a part of British history that needs fixing. I am considering the next steps with my legal team, and the fight goes on.” In Ellis' case, the King granted a conditional pardon because she was physically and emotionally abused by her partner David Blakely before she finally snapped and killed him. Under modern law she may now have argued the partial defences of loss of control or diminished responsibility. Christine's representatives say she should be considered in the same light, saying she lied in court because she was terrified of Gordon. Dr Felicity Gerry, a human rights barrister who is supporting Seymour, said: “The recognition that women who are victims of violent abuse and coercion should not suffer condign punishment is a great step forward. It makes a similar approach to the exploitation and extreme punishment of Christine Keeler possible." The Profumo scandal erupted in 1963, when it was discovered that 19-year-old Christine had bedded 46-year-old Profumo and Russian spy Yevgeny Ivanovin the same week. Christine knew both men through her friendship with Stephen Ward, an osteopath who had taken her under his wing. The affair came to light after one of Christine's ex-lovers fired gunshots at Dr Ward's flat in Marylebone, where she was cowering inside. Rumours began to swirl about her fling with the government minister. The love triangle sparked fears for national security as it was claimed Christine may have tried to pass on nuclear secrets obtained through pillow talk. In March 1963, Profumo denied the affair in a statement to the Commons. It did not stop a series of lurid newspaper stories about Christine, who was briefly one of the world's most famous women. In June, Profumo was forced to admit he lied to Parliament and he resigned in disgrace. Dr Ward was arrested and put on trial accused of pimping Christine and her teenage friend Mandy Rice-Davies. He killed himself days after being found guilty. The scandal tainted the whole Tory government. Months later, Harold Macmillan quit as Prime Minister, citing ill health, and his successor Alec Douglas lost the election the following year to Harold Wilson. Christine died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at the Princess Royal University Hospital, in Farnborough, London.