Paul McCartney shared a touching tribute post for Queen Elizabeth II with fans on his social media pages over the weekend.
After the Queen of England died on 8 September at her Balmoral estate aged 96, the British Beatles star publicly looked back on times he’d spent with the monarch.
Saying memories had come “flooding back” following her passing, McCartney told followers that he was “privileged to have been alive during the whole of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign”.
The 80-year-old went on to recall the memories he has of the Queen, including winning an essay competition with a piece about the monarchy at 10 years old and watching Elizabeth’s coronation on a black-and-white television in 1953.
“Looking back I am honoured and amazed to see that I met Her Majesty eight or nine times and each time she impressed me with her great sense of humour combined with great dignity,” he wrote. “The Beatles got the MBE on 26th October 1965. I remember us being taken aside and shown what the correct protocol was.”
Paul received the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire along with the rest of his band in recognition for his contribution to the arts.
“We were told how to approach Her Majesty and not to talk to her unless she talks to us. For four Liverpool lads, it was, ‘Wow, hey man.’”
After recounting his other experiences with the Queen, the musician concluded his post: “God bless you. You will be missed.”