The life of Marilyn Monroe is being looked at closely this month to coincide with the release of her new biopic Blonde on Netflix. The American star was one of the most famous actresses of all time, but she wasn’t perfect.
In 1956 Marilyn spent four months in the UK to shoot her new film, The Prince and the Showgirl. During that time, she managed to meet Queen Elizabeth II.
Marilyn attended the UK with her husband, Arthur Miller, while working on the movie opposite Laurence Olivier.
When she wasn’t shooting the film she was living in a house in Englefield Green, along the outskirts of London.
Towards the end of her trip, in October, she was invited to attend the Royal Command Performance on October 26, 1956. She dutifully attended and lined up to be received by The Queen and her sister, Princess Margaret.
The Leicester Square Odeon was packed with the most famous celebrities from the worlds of entertainment when Her Majesty finally made her way to Marilyn.
Marilyn and Her Majesty exchanged some kind words to one another before The Queen moved on to the next member of the celebrity line up.
Years later, The Queen’s brutal words about Marilyn were revealed. Michelle Morgan’s 2022 book “When Marilyn Met the Queen: Marilyn Monroe’s Life in England” detailed what happened when the two titans met one another.
In particular, she revealed how Marilyn had managed to make herself look foolish in front of the Queen of England.
The author wrote: “In 1961, an article appeared in People that gave a glimpse of the Queen’s thoughts on Marilyn, through the eyes of an unnamed ‘friend.'”
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Marilyn was later quizzed on what happened between her and Queen Elizabeth II. She responded: “The Queen is very warm-hearted. She radiates sweetness. She asked how I liked living in Windsor, and I said, ‘What?!’ and she said that, as I lived in Englefield Green, near to Windsor, we were neighbours. So, I told her that Arthur and I went on bicycle rides in the park.”
It was later revealed she also spoke to Princess Margaret. She told her her trip to England was going “very well,” before adding, “and it will be with regret that we have to leave in about a fortnight’s time.”
Although The Queen and Marilyn may be a strange match-up, they were, in reality, very similar.
They were born just a few months apart in 1956 – The Queen on April 21 and Marilyn just weeks later on June 1. When they met they were both 30-years-old.
But both women were also titans of their own realms. The Queen, obviously, a ruler of a country and kingdom, while Marilyn had taken over her corner of Hollywood as a strong actress with such releases as The Seven Year Itch, River of No Return and Clash By Night.
Blonde is in cinemas now.
