A letter that John Lennon wrote to Queen Elizabeth II has been found inside a record sleeve from a £10 car boot haul. The finder, who remains anonymous, purchased the record 20 years ago but he only recently found the note inside the sleeve.
As BBC News reports, the note may have been a draft of the actual letter Lennon sent in 1969, which still is in the Royal archive. The finder learned of its worth,£60,000, when he took it to a valuation day at The Beatles Story in Liverpool on Wednesday. The draft could have been gotten rid of because of a smudge on the signature, which is visible in the image of it above.
In the letter, Lennon explains why he was returning his MBE and that it was in protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigerian Civil War. He also says that the UK’s “support of America in Vietnam” and “Cold Turkey slipping down the charts” are reasons for his protest.