Cynthia Lennon Said John Lennon’s Face Turned Red When He Met Princess Margaret

John Lennon cultivated a rebel image in The Beatles. He freely spoke his mind — about music, art, culture, and celebrities — without worrying about who he offended. That included his bandmates and himself. Lennon said the hit song he gave to The Rolling Stones was just a throwaway; it was their first hit. He may have thought of himself as a rebel, but John’s face turned red when he met royal authority figure Princess Margaret, according to Cynthia Lennon.

Cynthia Lennon said John Lennon ‘stood red-faced’ when he met Princess Margaret

They became household names thanks to the music, but The Beatles became movie stars when A Hard Day’s Night hit theaters in 1964. The Fab Four brought out the biggest stars in England for the film’s premiere on July 6, 1964, including British royalty. Princess Margaret, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth, attended the movie’s debut and the meet-and-greet party afterward.

Lennon fancied himself a rebel against authority, but that image faded when he met the princess. Cynthia Lennon said John’s face flushed red when he started talking to Princess Margaret (via 150 Glimpses of The Beatles). 

“When it came to meeting royalty in the flesh, John was as much in awe as the rest of us. He was so pleased and proud that the princess had come to see the film that his anti-establishment views flew out of the window, and he stood red-faced as she spoke to him.”

cynthia lennon

The same Lennon who never hesitated speaking truth to power turned into a star-struck, red-faced puddle amid royalty. 

It was merely a blip.

John later insulted Elvis Presley to his face when The Beatles visited his house. Lennon frequently belittled Paul McCartney and George Harrison. He called out a TV star for not understanding The Beatles’ songs. Similar to Elvis, John met Bob Dylan, a musical hero, then later laid into his songs (Lennon said one of them was pathetic and embarrassing) and his stage name.

Lennon’s rebel persona wilted when he met Princess Margaret a the premiere of A Hard Day’s Night. A few other rock stars went in the other direction.

George Harrison asked the princess to leave the ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ movie premiere

John’s face went red with nervousness when he met the princess. His rebel persona didn’t stand a chance in the face of royalty. The Beatles’ founder was apparently a secret fan of the royal family, and they returned the love. Prince Philip called them “good chaps.”

Still, the princess was probably the biggest Beatle lover in the family. She was surely thrilled to party with the Fab Four after the premiere. Harrison was less enthusiastic and eventually asked the princess to leave the party.

Late in the night, when George realized he was getting hungry, he approached Walter Shenson, the film’s producer, and asked, “When are we going to eat?” Shenson gave Harrison the unfortunate answer — he and The Beatles couldn’t possibly eat until Princess Margaret and her husband, Lord Snowdon, left. “Just be patient,” Shenson said. But George didn’t want to be patient; he’d already waited a long time. So he took matters into his own hands.

A few minutes later, George brashly walked up to the princess and said, “Your Highness, we really are hungry and we can’t eat until you two go.” The royal, thankfully, was cool about it and said, “I see. Well, in that case, we’d better run.”

Harrison politely addressing the princess and asking her to leave so he could eat was downright cordial compared to what The Rolling Stones did. 

Alistair Taylor, Beatles manager Brian Epstein’s assistant, remembered the Stones staying firmly in their seats when the princess and her husband arrived at the movie premiere (via 150 Glimpses of The Beatles):

“John is seen as the great rebel, but he wasn’t really like that. In fact, he was the first on his feet when the first bars of the national anthem played, and all the other boys stood up. So did everyone else, except for The Rolling Stones. They sat sprawled out as an arrogant gesture of defiance. John was definitely not impressed.”

Standing for the national anthem? Turning into a fanboy in front of the princess? It all flew in the face of John Lennon’s rebel image, which went out the window when he turned into a red-faced mess in front of Princess Margaret.

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