Questions about the Krays

1: Reggie was bisexual. There's no mention of this in the film because this fact wasn't made public until after Reggie's death. Journalist John Pearson's famous account of the Krays - 'The Profession of Violence' - didn't make any reference to Reggie's bisexuality in it's original edition. However, his follow up book 'The Cult of Violence' (written after both the twins were dead) revealed that on the night when Superintendant Leonard "Nipper" Read arrested the Krays for murder, he and his fellow police officers found both the twins in bed with their boyfriends. Newly declassified police records from Read's Murder Squad investigations of 1968-69 also revealed that Reggie had a taste for both girls and boys. Reggie was open about the girls, but the boys were a secret known for years only to a select inner circle.

2: Frances killed herself because she was in a highly depressed mental condition. The tablets were valium that she was supposed to be taking to calm her nerves and keep her emotionally sedated.

3: Yes, Charlie was involved in his brother's activities. He was sent to prison himself, but not for a life sentence.

4: Yes, Violet knew about her son's activities. John Pearson in 'The Cult of Violence' revealed that when he interviewed Violet in her home, she had a vast collection of pictures around the place of her son's activities. Some were of the twins with movie stars and celebrities. Some were news reports and photos of the twin's criminal actions. Pearson was astonished and disturbed that Violet seemed equally proud to display and discuss both types of mementos.

5: Their father was a small time lowlife criminal. Not in their league at all.

6: They made their money through extortion and protection rackets, and then moved into nightclubs as a way of creating a legitimate business front. It also gave them access to the world of the rich and famous.

7: The police couldn't build up a serious case that would stick. They needed evidence and witnesses, and the twins made sure for years that people were too scared to talk to the police. This is why the top brass of Scotland Yard brought Superintendant Read of the Murder Squad into the arena, and gave him the full time duty of building a case against the Krays and their organisation.

8: Extortion and protection rackets. Blackmail, including that of a peer of the realm, Lord Boothby - one of the most influential and powerful politicians in Britain - tricked by Ronnie Kray in a setup involving male prostitutes and incriminating photographs (these facts were only made public forty years later). Prostitution of both women and boys for the twin's exclusive and influential clientele. Hired killers in their "Firm", including the legendary hitman Freddie Foreman (his son Jamie went on to become a well known professional actor). Bribery. Demanding money with menaces. Assault, torture, mutilation, and outright murder. They were convicted of one murder each. They also both gave orders for people to be murdered. Exactly how many will probably never be known.

9: No. Frances Kray committed suicide.

10: Ronnie was primarily homosexual, but had occasional sexual encounters with women. He later married a lady he met when she visited him in Broadmoor Prison (an institution for the criminally insane). They were later divorced, but she retained his surname and she still trades on it to this day by repeatedly selling her story to the media.