The great moment when Marilyn met the Queen!
Marilyn Monroe was a real Hollywood diva who lived such a life. Accustomed to glamor and daily attention, she has always been the central figure of all events.
Marilyn Monroe was a real Hollywood diva who lived such a life. Accustomed to glamor and daily attention, she has always been the central figure of all events. There were rare occasions when Marilyn was not the one who was not in the center of attention. One such event was the meeting with Queen Elizabeth in 1956 at the premiere of the film "Battle of La Plata" in London.
This event was described in detail by Michelle Morgan in the book "When Marilyn Met the Queen: The Life of Marilyn Monroe in England". In July 1956, the actress arrived in London with Arthur Miller on her honeymoon, and for the filming of "The Prince and the Actress" with Laurence Olivier. While the front pages of all the newspapers dealt with the crisis in the Suez Canal, on Monday, October 29, 1956, Marilyn Monroe was preparing for a special meeting - a meeting with Queen Elizabeth, writes Michelle Morgan in her book.
No one is sure whether the famous movie diva got a day off for this unique occasion or that day off has long been part of the established schedule. However, those who were in charge of controlling her presence on the set of the film only briefly wrote "she is not free".
Preparations for the meeting with the queen also included arranging a hairstyle that lasted for hours, then applying make-up, and finally putting on a dress that will appear on all covers the next day.
Although she was instructed from the protocol that a "conservative style" dress is expected at such a meeting, Marilyn did not care much for these tips. The dress was anything but traditional. Tight to the body, and with a large cleavage so big that the breasts are almost visible.
Accompanied by Arthur Miller, Marilyn went to the premiere of the film, where she was supposed to meet the queen together with other celebrities. According to the protocol, Miller was not scheduled to be presented to the Queen.
While Marilyn was waiting with other celebrities, the queen arrived accompanied by her sister Princess Margaret. The Duke of Edinburgh was absent because he had already gone on a four-month business trip on the royal yacht. Young Elizabeth, who was 30 at the time, like Marilyn, wore a dark dress with slightly lowered shoulders, high white gloves, a tiara, and other royal jewelry.
Among those waiting to say goodbye to the queen was Brigitte Bardot but also Marilyn Monroe's biggest rival, actress Joan Crawford. And everyone was very nervous. Bardot later said that she was not sure if she had made the right bow to the queen.
The line for the bow was quite long, and Marilyn was somewhere in the middle. She was excited but also nervous at the same time. She occasionally watched in front of her, and as the queen approached, she was seen peeking out of line, and the very next moment she was chatting with the actor Victor Matthew.
While the queen shook hands with the stars, the person from the protocol discreetly looked at the list, to make sure that each celebrity was named correctly. And then it was Marilyn's turn. While the queen looked at her briefly in the direction up-down, the actress took her hand and then descended to a well-rehearsed bow. The two of them then chatted for a few minutes. As the Queen moved on, Marilyn repeated the same thing with Princess Margaret. They talked about cycling, life in England and the latest film Marilyn is shooting.
However, that was not the end, after the premiere of the film, another tribute to the queen was planned. Marilyn was completely confused because she was not at the rehearsals and did not know what exactly she should do while the group stood behind the closed curtain and while they waited their turn to be called out.
Actor Anthony Quayle wrote in his autobiography that the actress asked him several times what to do when her name was revealed, but despite the explanation, Marilyn was too impatient to remember.
As she moved forward, she turned to actor Victor Matthew and asked him what he should do. "Fall on your ass," he replied, then slipped through the curtain. Marilyn was introduced a few seconds later, and despite her nervousness, she stepped forward and the audience was already "crazy" - writes Michelle Morgan.
When reporters asked her about the queen on the way out of the theater, Marilyn replied: “The queen is very cordial. It radiates grace. She asked me how I liked life in Windsor and I was confused. And since she said that we are neighbors because we live in Englefield Green because it is close to Windsor, I told her that Arthur and I went for a bike ride in the park” - said Marilyn.
