Pattie Boyd, born Patricia Anne Boyd on the 17th of March 1944 in Somerset, England is a model and photographer known for her influence on 1960s fashion as well as her relationships with George Harrison and Eric Clapton. Her life has a vibrant modelling career, well-known relationships and contributions to the arts.
Early Life
Pattie was the eldest child of Colin Ian Langdon Boyd and Diana Frances Boyd. Her childhood involved frequent relocations due to her father being in the Royal Air Force. The family lived all of the Uk including West Lothian, Scotland (where her brother was born in 1946) and Guildford, Surrey (where her sister was born in 1947). In 1948 after her father had been discharged from the forces, they moved to Nairobi, Kenya where Pattie attended boarding school. Another sister would be born here in 1951.
One day, Pattie returned home from boarding school on a half-term break, and discovered that her parents had divorced. This led to a return to England in December 1953 with her mother and siblings. This period exposed Pattie to diverse cultures, which would shape her into being adaptable and resilient. With her mother’s second marriage, she gained two half-brothers. Many years later she discovered she had two half-sisters through her father’s second marriage.
Modelling Career
In 1962, Pattie moved to London, working as a shampoo girl at Elizabeth Arden’s salon. Her striking looks caught the attention of a client, who worked for Honey magazine, leading to her joining an agency and starting her modelling career. Pattie quickly became a prominent part of London’s fashion scene, working with renowned photographers like David Bailey and Terence Donovan. Her distinctive look made her a muse for designers, in particular Ossie Clark, who named several designs after her.
Alongside Jean Shrimpton, Pattie influenced the British female ideal of the 60s, inspiring fellow fashionistas like Twiggy. Her style, with a mini skirt, long, straight hair, and wide-eyed loveliness defined Western fashion of the 60s, thanks to the global popularity of The Beatles and other British Invasion bands from 1964 onwards.
Meeting George Harrison
In 1964, Pattie was cast as a schoolgirl in The Beatles’ film “A Hard Days Night,” which would change her life forever. On set, she met lead guitarist George Harrison. Initially, she rejected his advances due to an existing relationship with photographer Eric Swayne. Several days later, she had broken off her relationship and she eventually agreed to a date with George. They went to the Garrick Club, a private gentleman’s club with Beatles manager Brian Epstein.
With the Beatles away on tour a lot, she and Harrison saw each other when ever their schedules allowed. In July 1964, Harrison brought a house, Kinfauns, in Esher, Surrey to escape the constant attention of fans in Central London, and Pattie soon moved in.
In early 1965, the couple’s dentist secretly laced his guests coffee with LSD during a dinner part. As Pattie was leaving with George, and John and Cynthia Lennon, John Riley told them he spiked their drinks and tried to get them to stay. Outside, she was agitated and threatened to break a shop window, but Harrison pulled her away. Later, when they were in a lift on their way up to the Ad Lib Club, they mistakenly believed it was in fire. It was Pattie’s first experience with LSD.
Boyd and Harrison became one of the leading couples of the Swinging London era, and according to an article in the Daily Express, “actors, pop stars, hairdressers, and models were London’s new privileged class.” UK underground writer Barry Miles described her as by far the most glamorous of all the Beatles’ wives and girlfriends, while Shawn Levy wrote that she epitomised what sixties stardom was meant to confer upon its chosen. Pattie became George’s muse, inspiring him to write songs including “I Need You,” “If I Needed Someone,” and the memorable “Something.”
During this period, Boyd began writing a column, titled “Patti’s Letter from London”, for the American teen magazine 16. She reported on the latest fashion trends from Carnaby Street, shared what The Beatles and Rolling Stones were wearing, and gave advice on how to get dark and curly hair blonde and straight.
Despite her popularity in the fashion and music scene, she faced hostility from female fans of the Beatles, which led to Harrison insisting she abandon her career to protect her and their privacy.
George and Pattie were engaged in the 25th of December 1965, and married on the 21st of January 1966 at Epsom register office. Harrison stressed to the press of the equality in their relationship and credited her with broadening his outlook. In September and October, they spent six weeks in India as guests of Ravi Shankar, the Indian classical musician. Harrison began to learn to play the sitar under Shankar’s eye, with Boyd taking up the dilruba. Following attention from fans and the press, they left Bombay with Shankar and stayed on houseboats in Kashmir. When they returned to England, they continued to live a lifestyle with yoga and vegetarianism, with Boyd continuing to learn the dilruba with tutoring from Shiv Dayal Batish.
A month before the Beatles’ breakup, Boyd and Harrison moved into Friar Park, Henley-on-Thames in March 1970. By this time, George’s devotion to spirituality, particularly the Hare Krishna movement, had become to divide the couple. They had also been unsuccessful in starting a family together, with George refusing to consider adoption. In defiance of her husband, Pattie started modelling again in May 1971. As they grew further apart, Boyd had an affair with Faces guitarist Ronnie Wood in 1973, with Harrison romancing his wife Krissie. In July 1974, Pattie left George. Her decision was based mostly on his repeated infidelities, with the final straw being George’s affair with Ringo Starr’s wife Maureen.
Relationship with Eric Clapton
During her marriage to George, Pattie caught the attention of Eric Clapton, who was a close friend of George and of course, a legendary guitarist. Clapton fell in love with Boyd and even briefly dated her sister in an effort to satisfy his infatuation. Eric’s classic song “Layla,” was inspired by his unrequited love for her, drawing from the Persian tale of Layla and Majnun. The story, written by Nizami, tells of a man driven to madness by his unattainable love. When Pattie rebuffed his advanced in late 1970, Eric became addicted to heroin and went into self-imposed exile for three years.
Following her divorce, Pattie and Eric entered a relationship within weeks, and it was tumultuous from the start. Clapton’s spiral into alcoholism created issues throughout their relationship. Despite this, they married on the 27th of March, 1979 in Tuscan, Arizona. Actor John Hurt later recalled that Harrison and Clapton staged a guitar dual over Boyd in Hyde Park. Following their marriage, Clapton and Boyd remained close with Harrison, with the latter referring to Eric as his husband-in-law.
Boyd really struggled with the marriage and began drinking heavily. To the public, the difficulties were masked by their public image. Clapton later admitted to abusing her while they were married and he was an alcoholic. Pattie and Eric also tried unsuccessfully to have children, trying IVF in 1984 and 1987, but unfortunately these ended in miscarriages. Despite this, Pattie inspired another of Eric’s hits, “Wonderful Tonight.” Pattie and Eric stayed together for 10 years, divorcing in 1989.
Pattie would later state that she thought Eric’s pursuit of her had more to do with the competitive nature of his friendship with George rather than her, saying that Eric wanted what George had. Following her second divorce, her self-esteem plummeted. No longer Mrs Famous George or Mrs Famous Eric, she had a personality crisis. She felt as if she was no one, no one knew her and she didn’t even know herself.
Later Life
Following her second divorce, Pattie explored her passion for photography. She had always been a hobbyist, capturing intimate moments of her life with George and Eric, as well as behind the scenes of the 1960s and 1970s music scene. She was an active member of the Royal Photographic Society. In 2008, she said that it wasn’t until 2004 that she felt ready to revisit and share the images. She also noted that her lack of professional experience probably makes her images more authentic, since she knew her subjects and they were relaxed in her company. Her work, titled “Through the Eye of a Muse,” has been exhibited internationally, offering a unique look at the music and culture of the era.
In 2007, she published her biography “Wonderful Today,” giving an intimate insight into her life and relationships. Pattie has found lasting happiness with property developer Rod Weston, who she married in 2015.