Paul McCartney marries Linda Eastman

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Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman first met in May 1967 in London, spent additional time together when Paul and John visited New York in May 1968 for Apple’s promotion, and their romance blossomed in June 1968 during Paul’s promotional trip to Los Angeles for Apple.

In August 1968, Paul invited Linda to London. She arrived in late September, leaving Heather, her daughter from her previous marriage, in New York. In October, Paul and Linda traveled to New York, where Paul met Linda’s family. When they returned to London, Heather came with them.

On this day, March 12, 1969, Paul and Linda hastily organized their wedding, a small civil ceremony at Marylebone Town Hall. However, the wedding nearly didn’t happen. The night before, Paul and Linda had a heated argument, casting doubt over their plans. Just days earlier, Paul had also visited Maggie McGivern, his secret lover since late 1966, seemingly in a state of shock.

Despite the cold and rain, fans gathered early outside. Around 9:30 a.m., the couple arrived discreetly through a side entrance. They were joined by Mal Evans and Peter Brown, from Apple. None of the other Beatles attended the wedding.

The ceremony, scheduled for 9:45 a.m., was delayed as Paul’s brother and best man, Mike McGear, was stuck on a train from Birmingham (the previous night, he was there for a concert with his group, The Scaffold). When he finally arrived, an hour late, the four-minute ceremony took place, and the newlyweds emerged to a large and emotional crowd. Overwhelmed, Linda tossed her bouquet before they quickly drove away.

Back at Paul’s home in St. John’s Wood, they celebrated with champagne and telegrams. Later, they received a church blessing and had their wedding breakfast at The Ritz. Among the attendees were George and Patti Harrison.

That evening, Paul left for a recording session, joking to fans, “I still have to work.” Their honeymoon would wait — but their new life together had begun.

Paul and Linda remained devoted to each other until Linda’s passing at 56 in April 1998. Together, they had three children: Mary born in August 1969, Stella born in September 1971, and James born in September 1977.

We were crazy. We had a big argument the night before we got married and it was nearly called off. We were very up and down, quite funky compared to the eventual image of ’25 years of married bliss! Aren’t they lucky for people in showbiz?’ But we are. You get this picture of us swanning along in a little rowboat managing to avoid the white water, but we were right in the middle of that white water, man, so it’s even more miraculous that we made it. But we did.

Paul McCartney – From “Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now” by Barry Miles, 1997

Maggie [McGivern] remembers McCartney arriving at her flat late one night. “He was really down and I couldn’t seem to get a word out of him,” she says. “He was crying and I knew he had been stressed. I stood and held him and asked him to tell me what was wrong. Then suddenly he jumped up and he said he had to go. Somehow I knew when I closed the door that night I wouldn’t see him again.“

A couple of days later she was walking along the King’s Road when she noticed four words on a newspaper billboard: “Paul and Linda marry.“

From The Daily Mail, April 12, 1997

John, George and Ringo weren’t at the wedding, which might have been because of the tensions of the time, or because we decided to do it quickly. It seems like an important point now but it wasn’t at the time – it was just the two of us wanting to get married quietly. My dad wasn’t there either – I’m not sure he was pleased with me about that, but my best excuse was that it was the spirit of the times. We didn’t want a big fuss.

Paul McCartney – From Wingspan, 2002

I really don’t remember whether or not I invited any of the band to the wedding. Why not? I’m a total bastard, I suppose – I don’t know, really. Maybe it was because the group was breaking up. We were all pissed off with each other. We certainly weren’t a gang any more. That was the thing. Once a group’s broken up like that, that’s it.

Paul McCartney – From “Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now” by Barry Miles, 1997

As a hint to the press, he told us not to arrive at Cavendish Avenue before 9am. But, at 7am, the first reporter and photographer had arrived. Mr McCartney and Miss Eastman, with Heather, aged six, arrived at Marylebone’s register office shortly before 10am and entered the office, in the town hall, by a side door, to foil the press and enthusiasts. About 300 of them, nearly half of them from newspapers and television, waited for hours in the cold, driving rain. While the wedding party was inside the building, the teenagers made their presence felt. A group of girls, who had pledged their lives to Paul, and were feeling a sense of betrayal, ran through The Beatles’ repertoire more than once. They wistfully sang, ‘How I long for yesterday’, and frequently sang their own words, ‘Oh, Paul, we love you’, to a Beatles tune.

Reporter – From “The Beatles: Off the Record” by Keith Badman, 2008

The wedding was arranged for 9.45 a.m. and my train was due in to Euston at 9.05 a.m. except, of course, that it broke down and British Railways had to put on a new engine. So by the time I arrived at Euston, about 10.30 a.m., I had given up. On the train I knew I couldn’t possibly make it and I thought there would be no point in even bothering to go to the register office as I knew he had somebody else there who could stand in for me as one of his two witnesses.

I’d had to come down from Birmingham, where the Scaffold were appearing in cabaret, in any case because we were filming a commercial and I was being met at Euston by a bloke from the film company. On an impulse I asked him if he’d mind if we just called by the register office to see if anyone was still around.

I knew Paul and Linda were arriving by the back entrance so that’s where we drove to. It was all deserted except for a policeman. ‘Are they still here?’ I asked him and. of course, he shouted ‘Yes. but you’ll have to go in round the front way.’ So round I rushed, went in and said ‘Forgive me, it wasn’t my fault. Have you been done?’ and Paul simply said ‘No — we’ve been waiting for you.’

I’ve always had a reputation for being late all the time. I always try to be on time, but things always go wrong. I thought there might be a few tempers, but all Paul said was ‘Ah. you’ve come Mike.’ It made me feel very relieved.

We went straight in then to get done and I gave Paul the ring during the ceremony. Afterwards we came out and had some of the champagne I had bought for them, together with a few other soft things … a couple of sparklers, a Kodak film for Linda. Heather always wants presents so she said: ‘What did you bring for me?’ I said: ‘I brought your dad,’ which, off the cuff, I thought was quite good.

I’m glad Paul and Linda got married. Actually I found out by seeing it on a newspaper poster in Birmingham on Tuesday afternoon—‘Beatle Paul To Wed.’ So I rang him up and found out it was true. It surprised me since there was no real reason to get married. But it’s good because it’s a sign of proof to a woman that you love her. Men tend to think ‘Well, what’s the bloody good of marriage’ so it’s good that Paul decided to go ahead.

Mike McCartney / McGear – From Disc & Music Echo – March 22, 1969

A dozen policemen tried to fend off teenagers, outstretched hands and microphones, as the couple made their way to the car. A rubbish bin went flying, feet were trampled, the teenagers screamed shrilly and poor Heather, looking bewildered, was carried in the arms of a policeman. For two girls, it was no less than the end of the world, as they broke down and screamed hysterically, inconsolable. He received the press treatment befitting his status, and was speeded on his way by the teams of young supporters who loved him to the last. Linda was wearing a daffodil-yellow coat over a fawn dress, and looked very pretty. Paul was wearing a dark-grey suit with a white shirt and a yellow tie.

Reporter – From “The Beatles: Off the Record” by Keith Badman, 2008

Reporter: What does it feel like to be married at last?

Paul: It feels fine, thank you.

Reporter: Linda, are you related to the Eastman–Kodak photographic firm?

Linda: I have no connection.

Paul: I’ve been done! Where’s the money?

From “The Beatles: Off the Record” by Keith Badman, 2008

We all knew it was going to happen. We even knew Linda was pregnant. We’d seen the prescription that Rosie, the housekeeper, collected for her. But we kept hoping Paul would get out of it somehow. He was upset because we were taking it so badly. He’d come out to the gates to talk to us earlier in the day. “Look, girls,” he said, “be fair. I had to get married some time.”

Margo Stevens, an Apple Scruff – From “Shout!: The True Story of the Beatles” by Philip Norman, 2004

When Paul drove back with Linda after the ceremony, grief began to turn to violence. The security gates were forced apart; the front door was kicked and wads of burning newspaper were pushed through the letterbox. After that, the police appeared and told everyone to disperse.

Margo, Jill and the other regulars, drained of all emotion, adjourned to the nearest pub. ‘We heard later from Paul’s housekeeper Rosie that he was really upset about us,’ Margo says. ‘He was standing just inside the front door, saying, “I must go out and talk to them again.” But when he did come out, none of us was there any more. He couldn’t believe we’d all gone away, so Rosie said. When he came back into the house, he was almost in tears.’

From “Shout!: The True Story of the Beatles” by Philip Norman, 2004

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Going further

The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years

"With greatly expanded text, this is the most revealing and frank personal 30-year chronicle of the group ever written. Insider Barry Miles covers the Beatles story from childhood to the break-up of the group."

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