John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s holiday in Wales ended on 23 June 1969, and they drove from Tywyn on the west coast to Liverpool, England.
This was part of their driving holiday which took them from London to Swansea, then on to Tywyn, Liverpool, and finally the Scottish Highlands. They were accompanied by Lennon’s six-year-old son Julian and Ono’s five-year-old daughter Kyoko. They are pictured here in the rear garden of the Corbett Arms Hotel, Tywyn.
The visit was just days before the investiture ceremony held at Caernarfon Castle in north Wales for Charles, Prince of Wales, which took place on 1 July 1969.
The tourists sent a postcard from Tywyn, bearing the image of the 20-year-old prince, to Ringo Starr and his family, c/o Peter Brown at the Apple offices at 3 Savile Row, London. It contained the simple message: “Hello”.
The postcard, bearing a Tywyn postmark and dated 23 June 1969, was included in Starr’s 2004 book Postcards From The Boys.
Upon their arrival in Liverpool, the Lennons and Kyoko spent the evening with Lennon’s aunt Harriet and uncle Norman. They spent the following day sightseeing in the city by car.
Lennon realised that their Mini Cooper was too small to carry the four of them and their luggage. He instructed his chauffeur Les Anthony to bring them a more practical British Leyland Austin Maxi. Anthony then took the Mini back to Weybridge.