Paul McCartney Whispered to Queen Elizabeth II and Made Her Laugh the Last Time They Met
As one of the creative driving forces in the Beatles and a distinguished solo artist, Paul McCartney is one of the most famous musicians ever. John Lennon convinced Paul not to fix a line in “Hey Jude,” but Macca has proven his songwriting chops with and with John for six decades. Queen Elizabeth II knighted Paul before she died, which was one of several times they met over the years. In an essay tribute to the queen, Paul revealed he whispered in her ear and made her laugh the final time they met.
Paul McCartney met Queen Elizabeth II several times over the years
All the Beatles received MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) honors in 1965. A little more than two decades later, Paul became one of the only rock musicians the queen knighted, in 1997. (Fellow Beatle Ringo Starr earned his knighthood in 2018, but Prince William did the honors).
Paul interacted with the queen several times outside the MBE and knighthood ceremonies. In an essay paying homage to the queen on his website, McCartney recalled crossing paths with her several times. They chatted during a 1982 event at Royal Albert Hall and again when the queen opened a performing arts center in Liverpool in 1996. Paul played the queen’s golden jubilee in 2002, she viewed his art exhibition at a Liverpool gallery, and he performed at her diamond jubilee in 2012.
Queen Elizabeth honored Paul again in 2018, and he said he delivered a whispered line to her that made her chuckle.
Paul’s “cheeky” one-liner made Queen Elizabeth laugh the last time they met
Paul earned his MBE honor with the other Beatles in 1965 and became a knight in 1997, but the queen honored him again in 2018. Sir Paul felt very comfortable around her highness by then as he delivered a cheeky, off-the-cuff one-liner that made her chuckle. As Paul’s tribute to the queen read:
“Our last meeting came in 2018. Because of my respect and love for the queen and her fabulous sense of humor when I was given the Companion of Honour medal, I shook her hand, leaned in, and said, ‘We have got to stop meeting like this,’ to which she giggled slightly and got on with the ceremony. I did wonder if I was a bit too cheeky after saying this, after all, this was the queen, but I have a feeling she didn’t mind.”
Paul McCartney on the whispered words that made Queen Elizabeth II laugh
Paul clearly enjoyed a unique relationship with the queen. Many British citizens don’t get to meet their monarch in their lifetimes, much less meet them more than once. Having crossed paths so many times gave him a certain level of familiarity with her highness. He broke strict formal protocol that surrounds many royal family functions, but it seems the queen wasn’t taken aback.
Her majesty might have even courted that sense of familiarity and Paul’s whispered words with her own actions many years before.
The queen once ditched a McCartney performance to watch TV
Paul — sorry, make that Sir Paul — never hid his love for the queen. He was old enough to remember her being crowned yet young enough to watch her reign throughout the decades. He held a special place in his heart for her despite the fact she ditched one of his performances to watch TV.
The story goes that Paul was scheduled to perform at the queen’s birthday party. By the time he was set to take the stage, however, her majesty excused herself. She told him she had to watch the latest episode of Twin Peaks instead.
Paul McCartney made the queen laugh with his whispered one-liner, and he might have been the only person alive who was able to do both — be close enough to whisper and cheeky enough to make her laugh — at the same time.
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