Pattie Boyd is an icon, even to date. She is famous for being one of the best photographers in the early 80s, a stunning model, and the ex-wife of two members of the Beatles, George Harrison and Eric Clapton.
Although Pattie has been married twice, her third marriage to husband Rod Weston has lasted six years and counting. Rod, on the other hand, has never been married but was in a live-in situation with Pattie.
Even though she didn’t have any children for any of those men, she was a muse and an inspiration behind some of their music, like Layla and Wonderful Night.
She is listed in the top 1960s supermodels of all time and mentioned in the same sentence with the likes of Jean Shrimpton, Veruschka, Twiggy, Donyale Luna, Penelope Tree, Peggy Moffitt, Anne Saint-Marie, and many more stunning models.
Also, several of the famous photographers she worked with and posed for were Brian Duffy, Terence Donovan, and David Bailey.
This post will explore Pattie Boyd’s life and career, including her relationships and net worth.
Profile Summary
Full Name | Patricia Anne Pattie Boyd |
Date of Birth | March 17, 1944 |
Age | 80 years old |
Place of Birth | Taunton, Somerset, England |
Parents | Colin Ian Langdon Boyd and Diana Frances Drysdale |
Siblings | Colin Jr. (brother) Paula (sister) David, Robert, Clare, Julia (half-siblings) |
Education | Boarding school at Nakuru School in Nairobi |
First Marriage (1966-1977) | George Harrison (member of The Beatles) |
Second Marriage (1979-1989) | Eric Clapton (musician) |
Third Marriage (2015-present) | Rod Weston (businessman, property developer) |
Career – Modeling | Modeling and Career – Photography |
Notable Works | Inspired songs like “Layla” and “Wonderful Night” |
Husband Rod Weston | Rod Weston |
Marriage Date (with Rod) | 2015 |
Marriage Duration (with Rod) | Six years and counting |
Socials | Instagram |
Pattie Boyd Biography
Patricia’s full name is Patricia Anne Pattie Boyd, and she was born on March 17, 1944. She is a native of Taunton, Somerset, and the first child of Colin Ian Langdon Boyd and Diana Frances Drysdale, who got married on September 14, 1942.
She grew up in West Lothian, Scotland, and her younger brother Colin Jr. was born two years later in 1946. Their family moved about a lot as her father was a bomber pilot for the British Royal Air Force. This also made her school in different places.
Their father, Colin, was discharged from the Royal Air Force as a pilot for a time during WWII due to an injury, but he was later returned to the Army in 1946. Patricia and her sibling lived in Nairobi, Kenya, with their family for a long while, as that is where their father served.
In Kenya, Pattie’s last sister Paula was born in Nakuru in 1951, and that makes her a citizen of Kenya by birth.
Patricia attended boarding school at Nakuru School in Nairobi, and her experience there was mixed. Her parents divorced in 1952, when she was eight years old, in Kenya.
In December 1953, her mother took the kids and went back to England, just after her marriage to Colin Boyd ended, and she later married Bobbie Gaymer-Jones. Back there, her mother had two more children with Bobbie: David (1954) and Robert (1955).
Her father, Colin, also remarried and had two daughters: Clare (1962) and Julia (1964). Her stepsister, Clare, died in 2018.
Pattie pursued her passion as a photographer and model from an early age. In the 1960s era, Patricia was among the most famous and leading international models.
In that same vein, there were other models like Jean Shrimpton, who stamped the most iconic female look and pose of the British era.
Patricia wrote and then published her autobiography Wonderful Today in 2007. Several of her photographs of her ex-husbands, George and Eric, which she captioned ‘Through the Eye of a Muse,’ are all exhibited in galleries all over the USA.
Patricia Boyd’s Careers
Modelling
She started at a beauty salon in London in 1962, where she worked as a shampoo girl. It was at this point that she was met by an agent who told her about a job as a model, as she was beautiful and had a physique.
As Pattie’s fame and popularity grew, she had several offers for TV ads and movie roles. She even featured in a Smith’s potato chips ad, which Richard Lester directed.
Again, Richard Lester had another gig for Pattie in 1964, but little did she know that it wasn’t a TV ad but a role in her very first film called A Hard Day’s Night, where she had to shout one word at the four most famous people in the world at that time, they Beatles. she shouted the word ‘Prisoners!’
Photography
Patricia Boyd’s amazing photography skills resulted from the numerous years she’d spent posing to the camera.
Her very first gallery show was at the San Francisco Art Exchange, and the picture was of her ex-husbands George Harrison and Eric Clapton. It was a show-themed ‘Through the Eye of a Muse,’ and exhibited on Valentine’s Day 2005.
The photos were also opened in San Francisco, London (2006), California (2008), Dublin, and Toronto (2008), and Sydney and Kazakhstan (2009–2010).
Another of her works, ‘Yesterday and Today,’ which showcased The Beatles, was exhibited in 2011 on Santa Catalina Island and in Washington, DC.
Pattie Boyd’s Relationships
George Harrison
Pattie was married to George Harrison, a member of The Beatles, for two years, from 1966 to 1977, and then divorced him in 1974.
A few weeks after she and George broke up, she went for Eric Clapton, who was deeply in love with her while she was still married to his best friend. Just like she and George, Pattie married Eric for only two years (1979), and they also divorced in 1989.
Several reasons contributed to their divorce: George and her were driving apart, and things were getting out of hand with each other. George was young and male, and he wanted to have fun and enjoy the attention he got from girls and ladies and the privilege that comes from being rich and handsome.
Even though they were still in love with each other, they had to divorce and go their different ways.
Eric Clapton
In 1960, Eric and George were best of friends, and they fell in love with the same girl, Pattie Boyd. Even though George was his friend, he was heartbroken when he first married Pattie and was with her for years.
And when George and Pattie divorced two years later, he swept in and married Pattie the following year. When he was with his new band Derek and the Dominos, his 1970 album was inspired by Pattie on his hit songs like Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.
Eric fell into some serious alcohol and heroin addiction and personal exile for three years, and this was because Pattie refused his advances and romantic dates.
Eric briefly dated Pattie’s sister Paula to work this infatuation with Pattie out of his system, but that didn’t seem to work. So, in 1974, he went ahead and chased Pattie for the second time, just after he’d won the battle with his addictions.
In an interview with the actor John Hurt, he said that the two friends, George and Eric, had a guitar ‘duel’ over Pattie to see who was the better man and lover. The duel was hosted at Friar Park, Henley-on-Thames, England.
Rod Weston
Name | Rod Weston |
Famous as | Pattie Boyd’s Husband |
Born | 1953 |
Age | 71 years old |
Spouse | Pattie Boyd |
Profession | Businessman, property developer |
His full name is Rodney Edward Weston, and he was born in 1953. He’s 70 years old, and he’s well known as Pattie Boyd’s long-term boyfriend and third husband.
Rod Weston is an estate developer and a member of the Businesspeople in Construction, Britain.
Rod and Pattie met in 1991, dated for 25 years together, and married in 2015. The wedding ceremony was quiet and intimate at the Kensington and Chelsea Registry Office in London, with just friends and family present to witness the union.
After the ceremony, Rod said it was their silver anniversary, so they thought they’d just make it official. So far, they are still officially married for six years and plan on staying married.
Pattie Boyd’s Latest Adventure
Alongside fellow model Twiggy, she became a symbol of the countercultural movement in Britain, particularly during the Swinging London era.
In 2007, Boyd released her memoir called “Wonderful Tonight” (also known as “Wonderful Today” in Britain). Now, fifteen years later, she’s back with a new book titled “Pattie Boyd: My Life in Pictures” (published by Reel Art Press).
This book includes old photos from her modeling days and candid pictures she took of Harrison and Clapton from the 1960s to the 1970s. It was published in the U.K. two months ago and recently in the U.S.
Being a key figure in the 1960s Youthquake and part of rock royalty, Boyd’s life was captured in thousands of photos, many first seen in top fashion magazines. This rich collection celebrates her experiences in vibrant colors, detailing her unique perspective during the ’60s era.
Pattie Boyd Net Worth
Pattie’s net worth as an English photographer, author, and model is $20 million.
In the early 1970s, Pattie’s face, body, and style were the most sought-after in major cities around the world. Her unique modeling style earned her a good amount of money.
In her biography, Pattie Boyd recounted purchasing a 1960 Les Paul as an investment, based on advice from Alan Rogan, Eric Clapton’s guitar tech. Regrettably, she had to sell it in the mid-90s, and, in her own words, “Within three years, it was worth 50 percent more than I had paid for it. I should have hung on—according to Alan, it’s now worth ten times the original sum.”
As of the latest update, acquiring a 1960 Les Paul would require an investment of $403,452.20 in United States Dollars.
In 2007, Pattie Boyd published her autobiography titled ‘Wonderful Today’ in the UK, also known as ‘Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me’ in the US. Subsequently, on October 18, 2022, she launched another book, “My Life in Pictures,” in London, UK.
Her Charity Works
Pattie started her charity work when she divorced Eric in 1980, and in 1991, Pattie and Barbara Bach founded a charity organization called SHARP (Self Help Addiction Recovery Program).
The inspiration behind SHARP was birthed from the pain and emotional distress she experienced during Eric’s battle with addiction. Even before that, she’s been very open to charity work, and she saw the fame and intensity that came with being the wife of a Beatles member, as that was one of the reasons that drove Eric to drugs.
Barbara was one of the Beatles members, Ringo Starr’s second wife. At one time during her first marriage to George, an unknown person reached out to Pattiie and asked her to donate old glasses, and she was happy to help. But this made George so furious with her.
She said later that when she asked George about how to handle such situations, he only demanded she stop talking to the media.
Pattie Boyd is still an icon today. She’s still strong and runs her organization. She has a major impact on the fashion, music, and model industries.