Royal Insult: Did The Beatles Slander Queen Elizabeth II With 'Her Majesty' Song?
The Beatles created a lot of hits throughout their career. However, one of their songs sparked a lot of controversy in the past as it seemed to be an attack to Queen Elizabeth II.
The Beatles certainly shared the best music during their decade-long run. But one of their famous releases titled "Her Majesty" became the talk of the town after its "insulting lyrics" made royal watchers wonder whether the song was intended as a critique to Queen Elizabeth II.
The song in question contains a surprising punch that seemed to be a direct blow to the monarch. Its lyrics tell the story of a man who wants "to romance the queen". Though the character feels that way, he still expressed insulting things about her.
"Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl/But she doesn't have a lot to say/Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl/But she changes from day to day," the short track's lyrics unveiled.
It even has a line wherein "Her Majesty" was described as someone "obsolete."
The Story Behind The "Accidental" Release
On September 26, 1969, The Beatles released the shortest track that only runs for 23 seconds. Initially, they planned not to release "Her Majesty" after Paul McCartney said that it was terrible.
John Lennon, who co-wrote the song with McCartney, did not appear to have commented on the track like his co-writer. The "Say Say Say" hitmaker acknowledged that "Her Majesty" was mildly disrespectful.
In the end, McCartney asked the studio engineer at EMI in London to remove the track, but accidentally, it was included on their album cut at Apple Studios.
What McCartney Said About The Queen
The Beatles, as a group, never had the chance to clarify whether the song was intended as an insult to the Queen or not as they already disbanded in 1970. However, McCartney sat down for an interview with Radio Times in 2019, duringwhich he mused about the track.
"We all kind of liked the Queen. It's an age thing. We were kids when she was crowned, so to us she was like a glamorous film star," McCartney said when he tried to reflect on their song "Her Majesty".
The 77-year-old singer-songwriter also defended Queen Elizabeth II when Britain allegedly started to fall apart. He said that it would never happen since the Queen "seems to be the glue".
McCartney has been expressing his admiration for Her Majesty through the years. In fact, he previously said that he could not imagine the royal family not being "a thing," most especially when the "UK had to get a "President Cameron, Johnson or May" as head of state at that time.
In 2012, the Beatles' former bassist became the frontman for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee together with Elton John. He told the Daily Telegraph that time that he admires the monarch, and he has "a lot of time for her".
"She is the rock'n'roll queen. Weirdly enough, that is one of the things her reign will be remembered for. Queen Elizabeth I, we remember Raleigh; Queen Elizabeth II, it's gonna be The Beatles," McCartney proclaimed.
