The Beatles rose to fame in a whirlwind of fan frenzy, unlike any band before them. Their effect on music has been felt for generations since, and their contributions have seen them receive great honours from Queen Elizabeth II. However, their meeting with the Queen was a moment in history which shocked the world.
On October 26, 1965, The Beatles were presented an MBE, which is the Member of the Order of the British Empire, for their contributions to music.
Each member went to Buckingham Palace to accept their awards, having been told back in June they would be receiving an MBE as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Of course, the news of the Beatles members – John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Sir Ringo Starr – receiving honours did not go down well with many previous honourees.
One military man, Colonel Frederick Wagg, returned 12 medals he earned fighting both World Wars in disgust at the Liverpudlian band getting these honours.
READ MORE: Kylie Minogue children: Does Kylie Minogue have children?
However, they had one very important person behind them Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
At the time Wilson represented Liverpool suburb Huyton and actually lobbied the Queen to honour the band in this way given their incredible status.
The protests did not deter the Queen, however, and the ceremony went ahead with the Beatles receiving their MBEs, among 189 people who received awards that day.
Speaking in Anthology, Sir Paul recounted the day: “Some equerry to the Queen, a Guards officer, took us to one side and showed us what we had to do.
Sir Paul even recalled how Sir Ringo made the Queen laugh, joking the band had been together for “40 years,” which saw Her Majesty laugh with the Liverpool lads.
Four years later, Lennon decided against keeping his honour, sending back his MBE in one of his many political protests.
He wrote in a letter to The Queen: “Your Majesty I am returning my MBE as a protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against ‘Cold Turkey’ slipping down the charts.
“With love. John Lennon of Bag.”
The medal was discovered in a vault at St. James Palace in 2009.
After this, Lennon died in 1980, and Harrison died in 2001, before either of them could receive any further honours.
Their bandmates, on the other hand, both received knighthoods for their contributions to music, with Sir Paul receiving his in 1997, before the death of Harrison, while Sir Ringo received his in 2008.
Sir Ringo remained in good spirits about his honour, joking to the BBC when he was knighted: “I’ll be wearing it at breakfast.”