On October 29, 1956, two of the most famous icons of the day shook hands for the first time: Marilyn Monroe and Queen Elizabeth
Marilyn, possessed an innate talent for acting, a seductive gaze, and a fearless personality. The blonde native of Los Angeles was a leading light in film and fashion in the 1950s.
Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest reigning monarch, has met countless celebrities throughout her reign. But, few know about the day Elizabeth II met Marilyn Monroe.
How old was Queen Elizabeth when she met Marilyn Monroe?
Queen Elizabeth of England was the same age as actress Marilyn Monroe; 30 years old.
Queen Elizabeth II and Marilyn Monroe share the same birthday?
No, Queen Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926 and Marilyn Monroe was born on June 1, 1926. The monarch was older by only two months.
Are Queen Elizabeth and Marilyn Monroe related?
No, the actress grew up in a poor Midwestern family that had emigrated to California at the turn of the century. Monroe was born at Los Angeles County Hospital. Her mother was Gladys Monroe and her father was Charles Stanley Gifford, a co-worker of Gladys with whom she had an affair in 1925.
Elizabeth II was the first daughter of Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI) and his wife Elizabeth, Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth). Her father was the second son of King George V and Queen Mary, and her mother was the youngest daughter of the Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne.
The moment Marilyn Monroe met Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen of England and the movie diva were face to face at one of the ceremonies of The Royal Film Performance on the occasion of the premiere of The Battle of the River Plate, a film starring Peter Finch and Anthony Quayle.
The two celebrities looked glamorous: Marilyn wore a tight dress full of glitter and Queen Elizabeth an elegant dark dress, gloves and a luxurious diamond tiara.
The moment was captured on a brief video and a Marilyn Monroe can be seen curtsying to Queen Elizabeth II, who greeted her with a sincere smile.
Although she had not participated in the film, Marilyn was invited to the event in the company of her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, whom she had married a few months earlier.