Julian Lennon hits out at Macca over wedding reception 'snub'

By Ben Todd
Updated: 07:03 EDT, 2 November 2011

'Ignored': Julian Lennon hit out at Paul McCartney via Facebook

Julian Lennon has extraordinarily claimed he has been ‘snubbed’ by his father’s former band-mates and their families.

The 48-year-old – the late Beatle’s son with first wife Cynthia – launched a furious attack on the rest of the Beatles.

He claimed he was not invited to a number of social events involving the band in recent months, including Sir Paul McCartney’s two wedding receptions in London and New York.

And he vowed he and Cynthia, now 72, would ‘not be eradicated from History.’

Lennon made the claims in a posting on his personal Facebook page on October 23, the day after Sir Paul, 69, and new bride Nancy Shevell, 51, had hosted a star-studded wedding reception in New York.

At the time, Lennon – who was five when his parents divorced - wrote: ‘Wow... Snubbed at Macca’s Wedding, Snubbed at the Anniversary of ‘LOVE’ in Vegas! Snubbed at Macca’s Wedding reception in NYC, last night.

‘Snubbed at George (Harrison’s)’s [sic] Film Premier... What Have I done to be ignored in such a way?’

He went on: ‘I was not invited to ANY of these events... I thought we had a relationship... Obviously not... Gimme some truth... Maybe now it’s time to tell the Truth... I & My Mother will not be eradicated from History... How Dare They.’

Ceremony: Former Beatle Sir Paul wed Nancy Shevell in London last month

As well as Sir Paul’s two wedding shindigs, Lennon – a musician – was referring to the premiere of the Martin Scorsese film, George Harrison: Living In The Material World, in London on October 2 and the five-year anniversary performance of the Beatles musical Love in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 8.

Intriguingly, Julian’s 36-year-old half-brother Sean – Lennon’s son with widow Yoko Ono, 78 - did attend both Sir Paul’s New York reception and the Love anniversary. 

And Ono attended all the events bar the London wedding reception.  
George Harrison’s widow Olivia and their son Dhani, 33, attended the London premiere and the London wedding reception, as did drummer Ringo Starr, 71, and wife Barbara Bach, 64.

The posting was removed shortly afterwards – though not before Beatles fans had commented on it.

One wrote: ‘Julian did get cr***ed on so I can understand his bitterness.’ Another wrote: ‘Julian has a legitimate beef.’

Close: Sir Paul holding a four-year-old Julian Lennon during a holiday in Greece

Last night, sources tried to play down the posting saying it had arisen from a ‘misunderstanding.’

One claimed that Julian was not invited to the events because everyone merely presumed he was at his home in Italy.

One said: ‘It’s more a case of c***-up rather than conspiracy.  Everyone assumed that Julian was back in Italy – so he wasn’t invited.

‘Yoko and Sean of course were – especially as they both live in New York. It was just one of those things.’

Another added: ‘Julian is a very intense man.  He was in New York on the night of the wedding reception but nobody realised - so there was a misunderstanding.

‘Julian put up the posting and, the problem with the Internet is, once it’s out there - there’s no hiding it.

‘Julian, though, has no problem with Sir Paul or Yoko,’ the source added.

In fact, friends claim his relationship with Yoko is on a stronger footing than it has been for some time.

Family: Julian Lennon with his father John and his stepmother Yoko Ono

Sir Paul famously wrote Hey Jude, originally called Hey Jules, for Julian as his parents’ marriage was collapsing.

He has since described Sir Paul – who he said last month he had last seen in June 2010 - as being like a father to him.

Last month, Julian admitted he had inherited a ‘short temper’ from his father.

He said: ‘I recognise myself in him. I have a short temper – I think it’s part of the Celtic background. I used to be a lot more angry, but I was quite discreet with it.

‘However, getting angry, negative and aggressive it does no good. Mum would always take a more loving way to resolve issues. Dad was the opposite. He’d shout in your face and scream.

‘I recognised traits I had that were the same as his and I didn’t like them so I cleared them.

‘Every time I see them, I pull back and breathe. I look at the bigger perspective. It makes the world of difference.’

Julian and Ono had a public reconciliation last year after he claimed to have ‘unleashed hell’ on her in 2009.

He explained recently: ‘I’d been very upset about things she’d done in the past and how she was controlling the estate.

‘We have a better relationship these days and I think she has a better idea of what his memory should be about.’

A spokesman for Sir Paul declined to comment.