Queen Elizabeth II Had This Reaction When Marilyn Monroe Ignored a Royal Protocol
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Queen Elizabeth II and Marilyn Monroe were both icons of their time and their 1956 meeting is still talked about today. The bombshell actress was the toast of London while she was filming The Prince and the Showgirl with Sir Laurence Olivier, but it seems that Monroe forgot about the strict palace wardrobe protocol when it came time to meeting the royal.
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The moment was so memorable that there’s a 2022 book by Michelle Morgan about it, When Marilyn Met the Queen: Marilyn Monroe’s Life in England. According to an excerpt, via Closer Weekly, Monroe “was desperate to meet the queen” during her time in England, and she “would often ask the publicist to set up a date.” However, her tumultuous relationship with Olivier often led him to “scrub her request from the list of daily demands.”
Her dream was reportedly to have tea with the royal, but that wish was never honored. Still, she was invited to a Royal Command Performance with Queen Elizabeth in October 1956 — that’s when things went a little sideways with the royal rules. “Marilyn (and the other female celebrities) were told to dress conservatively, but she wore a low-cut gold gown, which went against the rules,” wrote Morgan. Of course, Monroe “caused a sensation” in the forbidden dress, but it was the monarch’s reaction to her wardrobe saved the day.
Let’s just say that the cleavage was definitely popping that night as Monroe demurely curtsied to the queen. You could see the excitement on both of their faces as the “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” singer smiled brightly at the royal, per the ITN Archive footage. It’s a moment in time that is unforgettable!
“I’m sure she didn’t think a thing about it. She was a woman of the world, after all,” the author added while noting that their conversation was nothing but pleasant. “They spoke about being neighbors because Marilyn lived in Englefield Green and the queen lived in Windsor, just across the park,” she wrote. Monroe met the queen’s younger sister, Princess Margaret, that night too. While Elizabeth didn’t raise a fuss about the dress, she became a lifelong fan of the Hollywood sex symbol.
“The queen was always very private about her feelings toward meeting celebrities, but according to a friend, she became quite a fan of Marilyn and watched all her movies, summed up Morgan. It makes us wonder what Queen Elizabeth’s favorite Monroe movie was… perhaps, Some Like It Hot?
Before you go, click here to see our favorite of Queen Elizabeth’s fashion moments!
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