Queen Elizabeth “felt sorry” for her meeting with Marilyn Monroe in 1956.

In 1956, Hollywood royalty mingled with the real thing when Queen Elizabeth II met Marilyn Monroe at a lavish London event. Photos of the moment became instantly iconic, but Michelle Morgan's book, “When Marilyn Met the Queen,” reveals that the American sex symbol was under great strain that night.

While in London for the filming of “The Prince and the Showgirls,” Monroe was invited to a royal command performance, along with many movie stars such as Joan Crawford and Brigitte Bardot. According to Morgan, the actress's greatest dream while living in London was to meet the Queen, but when it actually happened, she was overcome with anxiety.

“Apparently the queen told her friends at the royal court that Marilyn was lovely but poor,” Morgan told Fox News. In fact, the star was so nervous that she “licked all of her lipstick off.”

“If you watch the video, you can see the queen coming up the line. Marilyn is nervously licking her lipstick. The queen was watching her. I thought it was interesting that the queen noticed,” Morgan told the media.

Even with the lipstick off, the movie icon made sure her outfit was the star of the show. Morgan said that “a memo went around to everyone” about the appropriate dress code for the event, “You have to wear something conservative. You have to think about the neckline."

[10

However, the Hollywood star apparently did not pay attention to the protocol, and the author notes that the memo “went right over Marilyn's head.”

“She already had an idea of what she wanted,” Morgan told Fox News, explaining that Monroe used a “theatrical dressmaker” to create a “very, very low cut” gold lamé evening dress.

“It caused quite a sensation,” Morgan continued.

“It was criticized by various people who were there, including Joan Crawford, who didn't like Marilyn very much anyway. But in the end, the queen didn't seem to mind. The queen was there to see Marilyn.”

The stunning dress was indeed “so low-cut that the top of Marilyn's bust was fully visible” and several people had to help her. But Queen Elizabeth seems to have taken it all in stride.

“She knew about Marilyn. Queen Elizabeth knew Marilyn. She knew the kind of gown she wore, and I think she was equally star struck.”

At the end of the day, the author said Queen Elizabeth had seen it all. He said, “I don't think there was the slightest thing that would have shocked Queen Elizabeth. I don't think there was anything that would have shocked the Queen.”