When Queen Elizabeth met Marilyn Monroe: the Hollywood icon and British monarch were the same age when they met in 1956, but the actress’ dream of having tea at the Buckingham Palace never came true
- If she were alive today, Monroe would have been the same age as the late monarch was upon her death this month in Balmoral, Scotland; the two were both 30 during their iconic meeting
- The actress broke royal protocol with her low-cut dress, reportedly dreamed of having tea at Buckingham Palace, and chatted with the queen about staying at Enfield Green, near Windsor Castle
The queen and Hollywood’s historical actress met on October 26, 1956, at the Royal Film Premiere of The Battle of the River Plate in London, per Elle.
According to various media outlets, Monroe was spending four months in the UK filming her movie The Prince and the Showgirl when she got the chance to meet the queen at the Empire Theatre in London’s Leicester Square along with a few of the most famous movie stars of that era.
Here’s what happened during that iconic night when a true monarch of the country met the “queen” of Hollywood.
Rebellious glamour
In the 2022 book called When Marilyn Met the Queen, writer Michelle Morgan gave a detailed insight into the event. While the two icons exchanging a brief conversation was a moment that went down in history, Monroe’s dress also made its own statements.
The book detailed that, ahead of the event, organisers had asked the female artists to adhere to the royal dress code, which is to wear gowns that aren’t low cut or show too much cleavage.
But Monroe had none of that. Breaking protocol, she showed up looking ever-so-glamorous with a gold lamé gown that was very low-cut, tight to the body and with spaghetti straps.