john major affair

Um, John Major had an affair with a really famous MP – but why wasn’t it in The Crown?

She called him a ‘sexy beast’ and I’m SCREAMING


One of Peter Morgan’s biggest flaws is that he makes almost every character in The Crown impossibly sexy – even the famously boring, grandad-ish tory prime minister, John Major.

Because of this, there were aspects about his character during season five that were, let’s be honest, overlooked. In episode nine, one of John’s biggest scenes features him having a chat with his wife about “umpiring” the Charles and Diana divorce. He talks over Nora, acts pretty standoffish with her, and then the viewers practically see her heart drop as he says he can’t come with her to see their children at the weekend, because he’s “working”.

Annoyingly, this isn’t explored again in the series. But, in reality, John Major was at the centre of a huge scandal which saw him outed as having a very, VERY long affair with another high-profile MP. But, who was that MP? And why didn’t it end up in The Crown?

john major the crown

Photo via Netflix

In 2002, former Derbyshire MP and junior health minister Edwina Curry revealed in her memoir, Curry’s Diaries (1987 – 92), that herself and John Major had been seeing each other behind their partner’s backs for four whole years. Edwina was a tory backbencher at the time, while John was the government whip.

As both public figures rose through the ranks, it became more and more dangerous for them to carry on sleeping together, and the fact that they needed bodyguards on them 24/7 meant they couldn’t get a whole lot of privacy. “We could not continue without risking discovery,” Edwina told the press. So, the pair ended the affair, and John told his wife about what had been going on. Somehow, they managed to stay married!

Edwina has often spoken about how she stayed in love with him for years after the secret relationship ended – oh, and she told the Daily Mail he was really good at sex. “John Major was a sexy beast,” she said. “I think his history shows that. He was 19 when he was living with a woman who was 33. Believe me, I did not have to teach that man anything. He was experienced and fun.”

Brb. Washing my eyes out with soap.

john major affair

Photo via Netflix

So, why wasn’t it mentioned in The Crown? Quite a lot of John Major’s storylines in the Netflix show were totally fiction – and it’s clear they wanted the focus to be mainly on King Charles and Princess Diana. He didn’t, according to The Mirror, even act as a go-between when the pair divorced.

The Crown season five is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

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Featured image via Netflix.