Hajdu was born near Budapest in 1920. In the wake of World War II she moved to England and in 1948 began to use the name Baron Carl Hajdu. In 1956 she collected money for Hungarian freedom fighters resisting the then Soviet occupation. "The People", which specialised in lurid exposés, alleged that Hajdu had pocketed the proceeds. She was found guilty of fraud in 1957, and was forced into bankruptcy.