Pattie Boyd is set to sell a selection of personal items, including letters she received from former husbands George Harrison and Eric Clapton.
Boyd, who worked as a model and photographer, married Harrison in 1966 before divorcing 11 years later. During their relationship, his friend and collaborator Clapton was attempted to court Boyd, with letters from the guitarist dating back to 1970 confirming his intentions. The pair eventually married in 1979, and stayed together for a decade.
Ahead of her 80th birthday next month, Boyd has decided to sell a range of personal artefacts from her life, telling The Telegraph: “I’ve had them all for so many years – far too long. I thought, why don’t I just sell everything and let everybody else enjoy it?”
Among the letters is one penned by Clapton in 1970, where he probed Boyd on her marriage to Harrison. “All these questions are very impertinent, I know, but if there is still a feeling in your heart for me… you must let me know!,” he wrote.
At first, Boyd assumed it was by a fan as it was signed off, “All my love, E,” however, he later phoned her to ask whether she received the letter.
Meanwhile, another letter from Clapton reads: “Dear Layla. For nothing more than the pleasures past I would sacrifice my family, my god, and my own existence… Why do you hesitate, am I a poor lover, am I ugly, am I too weak, too strong, do you know why? If you want me, take me, I am yours… if you don’t want me, please break the spell that binds me. To cage a wild animal is a sin, to tame him is divine. My love is yours.”
Furthermore, there is also a letter that Harrison wrote in 1971 while he was in New York planning the ‘Concert for Bangladesh’. “Hope you’re ok. I miss you. I’m starving – many grilled cheese sandwiches. Love you,” he said to his wife. Each letter is expected to sell for between £10,000 to £15,000.
In addition to the letters, a doodle from Harrison which features him sitting beneath an apple tree is anticipated to fetch between £3,000 and £5,000. She said of the item: “How divine is that? To me, that says an awful lot about George. It’s so gentle, so sweet, and the idea is quite lovely. “Another thing in the auction is a most lovely Christmas card that George painted for me. That, again, says a lot about the gentleness of this man.”
The piece expected to sell for the highest value is the original artwork that appeared on the Derek and the Dominoes album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. The painting was purchased by Clapton from the son of Frandsen De Schomberg, who was responsible for the art. It has an estimated price of between £40,000 to £60,000.
