Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 6, 2026

David Profumo

Don David John Profumo, 6th Baron Profumo of the Kingdom of Sardinia, FRSL, is an English novelist and son of former British government minister and key subject of the Profumo affair, John Profumo.

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Baron
David Profumo
FRSL
6th Baron Profumo of the Kingdom of Sardinia
Born
David John Profumo

(1955-10-20) October 20, 1955
Marylebone, London, UK
Alma materMagdalen College, Oxford
OccupationsNovelist, lecturer, journalist
TitleBaron
SpouseHelen Fraser
Children3
Parents
RelativesAntonio Profumo, 1st Baron Profumo
FamilyProfumo

Don David John Profumo, 6th Baron Profumo of the Kingdom of Sardinia, FRSL (born 20 October 1955), is an English novelist and son of former British government minister and key subject of the Profumo affair, John Profumo.123

Early life and education

Profumo was born in Marylebone, London, the only child to former British government minister John Profumo, and actress Valerie Hobson.245

From 1968 to 1973, Profumo undertook his secondary education at Eton College, before attending Magdalen College at the University of Oxford, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in English, with honours, in 1977.36

Career

Following the completion of his studies, Profumo turned to teaching, and between 1978 and 1979, he worked as the Assistant Master of English at his former secondary school, Eton and Assistant Master of English and drama at Shrewsbury School.36 In 1981, Profumo became a part-time Lecturer of English at King's College London, a role he remained in until 1983.36

From 1982 to 1984, Profumo was Deputy Editor of The Fiction Magazine, before undertaking a number of freelance writing and columnist roles, including for The Daily Telegraph from 1987 to 1995.67

In 1988, Profumo published his first book, the non-fiction title The Magic Wheel: an anthology of fishing in literature.8 His first non-fiction novel, Sea Music was published in 1989.9

In 1989, Profumo was appointed a judge for the Booker Prize competition.10 Profumo was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1995, an honour awarded to authors who have published at least two works of literary merit.111213

In addition to his regular written works, in 2006 Profumo published a family memoir, Bringing the House Down, which covered the scandal brought about by his father's affair with Christine Keeler.21415

Personal life

Profumo married BBC Television producer, Helen Fraser, daughter of Alasdair Fraser, former Consultant Gynaecologist at St Mary's Hospital, on 22 March 1979 at St Marylebone Parish Church, Marylebone, London.216 They have three children, including heir apparent to the Profumo Barony, Alexander James (b 1983), Thomas David (b 1986) and Laura Ann (b 1992).171819

Bibliography

Bibliography

Profumo has written a number of fiction and non-fiction texts over his career, including:20

Books

Novels:

  • "Sea Music", London, Secker and Warburg, 1988.9
  • "A River Runs through it and other stories", Pan Books, London, 1993.21
  • "The Weather in Iceland", Picador, London, 1993.22

Non-fiction:

  • "In Praise of Trout", London, Viking, 1989.23
  • "The Magic Wheel: An Anthology of Fishing Literature", London, Picador, 1985.8
  • "Bringing the House Down: A Family Memoir", Isis, Oxford 2006.2
  • "The Lightning Thread: Fishological Moments and The Pursuit of Paradise", Simon & Schuster, London, 2021.24

Short fiction:

  • Profumo, David (1985). "The blind man eats many flies". In Julian Evans (ed.). Foreign exchange, Sphere, London.25

Essays and reporting:

  • Profumo, David (10 September 2014). "The little drummer bird". Country Life. 208 (37): 126–127..26
  • Various Country Life articles.27
See also

See also

References

References

  1. Irving, Clive; Hall, Ron; Wallington, Jeremy (1 January 1964). SCANDAL '63 The Profumo Sensation Complete. London: Mayflower-Dell. p. 14. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  2. Profumo, David (2006). Bringing the house down: a family memoir. London: John Murray. ISBN 978-0-7195-6608-0. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  3. The Writers Directory 2009. Detroit, United States: St. James Press. 2008. p. 1752. ISBN 978-1-55862-754-3. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  4. "GRO Birth Index (Oct-Dec 1955) - PROFUMO David J". www.freebmd.org.uk. 5d: 376. December 1955. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  5. Roth, Andrew (10 March 2006). "Obituary John Profumo". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  6. Straus, Peter. "David Profumo". RCW Literary Agency. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  7. "David Profumo, Esq". Debretts. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  8. Profumo, David (1985). The Magic Wheel: an anthology of fishing in literature | WorldCat.org. London: Heinemann. ISBN 9780434753314. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  9. Profumo, David (1989). Sea Music. London: Sceptre. ISBN 9780340499375. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  10. "David Profumo - The Booker Prize Judges". The Booker Prize. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  11. "Royal Society of Literature All Fellows". Royal Society of Literature. Archived from the original on 5 March 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  12. "Profumo, David - Royal Society of Literature". Royal Society of Literature. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  13. "How We Work - Royal Society of Literature". Royal Society of Literature. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  14. Adams, Tim (24 September 2006). "There were four of them in this marriage". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  15. Grice, Elizabeth (2 September 2006). "Son breaks family's 40-year silence on scandal of the Profumo Affair". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  16. "Helen Fraser (TV Producer)". IMBD. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  17. "GRO Register - Profumo Alexander James". Free BMD. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  18. "GRO Register - Profumo Thomas David". Free BMD. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  19. "GRO Register - Profumo Laura Ann". Free BMD. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  20. "Bibliography - Profumo, David". WorldCat. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  21. Maclean, Norman; Profumo, David (1993). A river runs through it and other stories | WorldCat.org. London: Pan Books. ISBN 9780330318631. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  22. Profumo, David (1993). The weather in Iceland. London: Picador. ISBN 9780330326810. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  23. Profumo, David (1989). In praise of trout. London: Viking. ISBN 9780670823208. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  24. Profumo, David (2021). The Lightning Thread : Fishological Moments and The Pursuit of Paradise. London: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781471191718. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  25. Profumo, David (1985). Evans, Julian (ed.). The blind man eats many flies. London: Sphere. ISBN 9780241114889. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  26. Profumo, David (10 September 2014). "The Little Drummer Bird". Country Life (September 2014). Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  27. "Articles by David Profumo". Country Life. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2026.