HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY

For 80 years, stars of the silver screen have come face to face with the British monarchy through the Royal Film Performances. Now, a brilliant new book tells the fascinating stories behind their picture-perfect red carpet moments

- By Karen Rockett

THEY’VE formed some of the most glamorous film premieres of all time. For the past eight decades, the annual Royal Family Performances have united movie stars and the monarchy on the red carpet for the most eagerly anticipated film of the year.

Organised by the Film and Television Charity, proceeds from the screenings have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to help those working behind the scenes in film and television with a range of practical, financial and mental health support.

But they have also provided a highlight of the entertainment social calendar, as the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Tom Cruise and Pierce Brosnan mingled with Princess Margaret, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and the late Queen Elizabeth, respectively.

Now a new book, The Royal Film Performance: A Celebration, written by Gareth Owen and Robert Sellers, delves into the regal glitz and glamour behind the memorable pictures taken by the late film photographer Harry Myers...

1. 1956: THE BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE

QUEEN Elizabeth II and Marilyn Monroe made headlines at this event, as the two most famous women in the world, from two very different worlds, met for the first time.

In the book, Monroe is described as wearing “a gown of gold, Grecian in style, that looked as if it had been sprayed on”.

The blonde bombshell arrived with her husband, the playwright Arthur Miller, with whom she was renting a house on the edge of Great Windsor Park while she filmed the Prince and the Showgirl.

“Then we are neighbours, how nice,” remarked the Queen.

During Monroe’s subsequent chat with Princess Margaret, Anthony Quayle (one of the film’s stars) butted in to ask whether she might come and see Arthur Miller’s new play, A View from the Bridge? It had been banned by the Lord Chamberlain and was being performed in a theatre club.

“I hope you will come and see it,” said Marilyn.