There has long been speculation about his role in one of the most notorious scandals of the 20th century.
Now the Mail on Sunday can reveal that Prince Philip was named in top-secret FBI documents about the Profumo affair in the early 1960s.
The documents reveal that the FBI had been told that the Duke of Edinburgh was personally “involved” with Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies, the two women at the centre of the sex scandal that brought down the government.
US Department of Justice files show the crucial memo was written by J. Edgar Hoover, then director of the FBI. It can be revealed after a five-year search by the MoS for relevant documents under US freedom of information laws.
At the heart of the scandal was married War Secretary John Profumo, who denied in the House of Commons in March 1963 that he had had a sexual relationship with teenage showgirl Keeler. He was forced to resign months later when evidence of the affair became public.
The documents reveal that the FBI had been told that the Duke of Edinburgh was personally ‘involved’ with Christine Keeler (pictured) and Mandy Rice-Davies, the two women at the centre of the Profumo scandal.
The scandal had national security implications, as Keeler also had sex with Russian military attaché Yevgeny Ivanov.
In the aftermath, well-connected osteopath Stephen Ward, who had introduced Keeler to Profumo at a party, was accused of living off the immoral earnings of Keeler and her boyfriend Rice-Davies. He took a fatal overdose and died three days after being sentenced.
In the recently released document, Thomas Corbally, an American businessman involved in industrial espionage who agreed to an interview by the FBI about his friendship with Ward, makes this claim about Philip.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s ties to the Profumo affair formed a major storyline in the Netflix series The Crown
A cable Hoover sent to the American Embassy in London on June 20, 1963, states: “Corbally also stated that there was a rumor that Prince Philip was having an affair with these two girls.”
Philip’s ties to the Profumo affair formed a major storyline in the Netflix series The Crown.
Sir Anthony Blunt, the Queen’s art curator, who is later revealed to be a spy for the Soviet Union, warns Philip that he will reveal his relationship with Ward if the Duke confronts him for his treason.
Corbally stated in his statement to the FBI that he did not believe the charges against Ward.