Queen Elizabeth II and Marilyn Monroe Were Born in the Same Year
As of early 2018, Queen Elizabeth II is the world’s longest-reigning current monarch, the oldest and longest-serving current head of state, and is already the longest-lived and longest-serving monarch in British history. She is also the longest-serving queen in history, and is within striking distance of Louis XIV’s record as longest-reigning monarch of a major state – she just needs to stay alive until 2024.
Her long reign, which began in 1952, witnessed major changes, such as the completion of the decolonization and winding down of the British Empire, once history’s largest empire ever, and one over which the sun literally never sent. Her reign also saw major constitutional changes in the UK, such as the devolution of statutory powers from the Parliament in Westminster to Scotland, Wales, Northern Island, and London.
Today, she is queen and head of state not only of the United Kingdom, but also of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, as well as twelve other countries that became independent after her accession: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.
Queen Elizabeth has demonstrated that she takes her coronation oath seriously, and has exhibited a strong commitment to her civic and religious duties during her decades on the throne. Although the royal family around her has been engulfed in frequent scandals, providing the tabloids with steady fodder for decades on end, the queen has been not only scandal-free but seemingly free of any hint of frivolity.
While the queen is a cultural icon, she is worlds apart from another cultural icon born the same year as her majesty, in 1926: Marilyn Monroe. The queen was born on April 21st of that year, while Marilyn was born about six weeks later, on June 1st. The two icons lived worlds apart, one in Hollywood, the other in Buckingham Palace. However, the two did meet once on common ground, when the monarch met the movie star at the London premiere of the Battle of the River Platte. Both women were 30 years old at the time, when Monroe waited in a line of guests to shake the queen’s hand. It would be the only time those two different types of royalty – a Hollywood queen and a real-life one – would meet.