Pattie Boyd memorabilia collection – which includes love letters from George Harrison and Eric Clapton – sells for nearly £3 million at auction

Memorabilia belonging to Pattie Boyd, the former wife of both George Harrison and Eric Clapton, has sold for almost £3 million at a recent auction via Christie’s.

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Among the collection are letters from the trio’s love triangle, as well as photos and drawings – including the original artwork Clapton decided on for the cover of Derek and the Dominos’ 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.

The artwork was expected to fetch between £40,000 and £60,000, but eventually went for £1,976,000, a huge chunk of the overall £2,818,184 the collection sold for in total.

There are also handwritten postcards and letters, plectrums, and dresses from the 1970s in the collection. One love letter from Clapton, sent in January 1971, was written on a page torn from a copy of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, and was expected to fetch between £10,000 and £15,000. However, it eventually went for £119,700.

Meanwhile, the original handwritten lyrics for Harrison’s solo track Mystical One went for £47,800, while a photo of The Beatles in India in 1968 was sold for £52,920.

Model and photographer Boyd says of the sales, “I am completely blown away by the enthusiasm of international bidders for these special treasures that I have always loved.

“I am so happy that new hearts will now enjoy them, as they enter into their next ‘chapters.’ I am lucky that my life today continues to bring me joy and different adventures – I would encourage people to follow their passions and live their lives with gusto.”

She married Harrison in 1966 after they met on the set of the 1964 movie A Hard Day’s Night. Harrison and Clapton were friends, and Boyd divorced Harrison in 1977 before marrying his friend in 1979. They then divorced themselves in 1989.

For more information on the results of the auction, head to Christie’s.