What is missing from the first Abbey Road cover?

The first pressing of Abbey Road had something missing

The late inclusion of Her Majesty on Abbey Road came after the designers could change the label and the cover — a laborious process in the pre-digital era. 

This meant that the first (limited) pressing of the album did not list the track, though it did appear on the LP itself.

New ‘corrected’ pressings were quickly issued but this process was complicated by multiple regional variations. 

Collectors hide and seek

Three uncorrected vinyl sleeves were released in the US, around fifty worldwide. Some of these are highly sought after by collectors.

Most later pressings list the track, though it is still referred to as 'hidden'. An urban myth has grown that Her Majesty was removed from the LP after the death of Queen Elizabeth.

Why would there be a need to do this? Paul McCartney has repeatedly said that the song is a tribute to the monarch all The Beatles admired.