March 20, 2021 · Modified: 03/20/2021 – 18:46
This Saturday marks the 52nd anniversary of the secret wedding of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in Gibraltar. The couple got married in the registry of the Rock and, later, once in Paris, invited the media to accompany them in their bed during their honeymoon, in a protest celebration.
The myth of The Beatles and the Japanese artist were married in Gibraltar “because it is quiet, English and welcoming,” Lennon would later tell. “Before we had tried it everywhere. I had decided to do it on the ferry to get to France already married, but they wouldn’t let us. We were not very successful with cruise ships, either. We tried it in the embassies but in Germany three weeks of residence were required and in France, two ”.
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Thus, only his intimates knew that they had been preparing the link for some time with the only obsession that it was not in England, where the controversy constantly surrounded the couple. The wedding was officiated by Cecil Wheeler with only one witness. Later, the photographs of both with the marriage certificate in hand posing in front of the Rock would go around the world.
Other famous married couples on the Rock
Lennon and Ono have not been the only famous couple to get married in Gibraltar. On the contrary, the Rock has historically been chosen by actors, actresses, artists and personalities known for their uniqueness to celebrate their links.
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So did the legendary Sean Connery, who married twice in Gibraltar, the first to Dilan Cilantro (1962) and the second to Micheline Boglio Roquebrune (1975). Other well-known faces, such as Frederic Forsyth, Rick Parfitt or Des O’Connor also did the same.
Lennon and Ono’s relationship was later described in detail in the Beatles song The Ballad of Jonhn and Yoko, written by Lennon but signed by Lennon and Paul McCartney. It was released as a single with lyrics alluding to the media display of their romance and the wedding ceremony. This is the video:
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