Today, of course, the Beatles have long been part of British cultural heritage — but in 1965 large parts of Britain’s supposedly highly cultural elite saw things a little differently. The fact that the four working-class boys from Liverpool, with their wild hairstyles for the time, should actually be honored by Her Majesty (and included in the “Most Excellent Order of the British Empire”) was not enthusiastically received by everyone at the time.
However, the Queen was not deterred by the partly protesting nobility and actually welcomed the four musicians to her palace on October 26, 1965. The Beatles, as Paul McCartney would recall years later, were well schooled in how to behave with Her Majesty—salutations, small talk, handshakes, everything was agreed. Even though Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr were already superstars by this point, there was a certain nervousness in the room. The meeting itself (the Beatles were far from the only ones honored that day) went according to plan, downplaying protocol, handshakes, medals presented, small talk made.
The joint thing
Even if the Beatles acted a little schoolboy-like in front of the Queen, there was no doubt that they were rock stars that day. They caused a lot of hustle and bustle when they arrived, and the other honorees that day were also very excited about their presence and wanted their autographs. There’s just one thing the Beatles didn’t really stick to, and according to John Lennon, they were stoned at the awards ceremony. As the Beatle once explained in an interview, the group smoked a joint in the palace toilet before the ceremony (soothing for the nerves!) — and then giggled to themselves when they met the Queen. However, whether this is actually true is questionable – because George Harrison later denied this and explained that Lennon had probably cheated his own memory, one had only smoked cigarettes.
… and the imitators
What the Beatles can do, Robbie Williams can do too. At least that’s what Robbie Williams thought. As the former Take That member once recounted, he followed his famous(er) Liverpool counterparts by “smoking a spliff” in the Buckingham Palace toilet. He didn’t reveal exact details, but a bit of rock star sailor’s yarn couldn’t hurt.
Bob Marley’s son Damian Marley is also said to have smoked weed at Buckingham Palace — apparently inspired by Peter Tosh’s song “Buck-in-Hamm palace.” “Light your spliff ( Light your chalice ( We gonna smoke it in a Buk In Hamm Palace),” Tosh sings in it. One thing is certain: the Queen would not have been amused if she had known.