When Marilyn Met the Queen

In July 1956 Marilyn Monroe arrived in London to make The Sleeping Prince (later released as The Prince and the Showgirl) with Laurence Olivier. When filming began it was a disaster. Director Joshua Logan had offered advice on how to handle Marilyn as an actress but Olivier ignored him. Marilyn grew to hate Olivier with a passion and the feeling was mutual. She took solace in small acts of kindness from members of the public and a new fascination with Queen Elizabeth. Marilyn made a point of asking the film's PR manager to add a royal meeting to her schedule but each day Olivier would delete the request. Michelle Morgan describes Marilyn's trip to late-1950s' Britain in evocative detail exploring the making of the film alongside the film star's troubled private life and her quest to meet the Queen.