In the year 1911 numbers of royalty from around the world are descending on London for the coronation of King George The Fifth.Among those are Carpathian ruler the Prince Regent Charles(Laurence Olivier)a stiff,dignified and emotionally controlled man who is trying to keep his country in one piece despite some wanting his 16 year old son Nicholas(Jeremy Spenser)to be King.Attending the theatre one night he goes backstage and is introduced to the cast including bubbly and enchanting American showgirl Elsie Marina(Marilyn Monroe).She is like a breath of fresh air to him and he invites her for supper.
It's from there that a delightful and very funny comedy begins,mainly revolving around Elsie's unfamiliarity with royal protocol and manners and you see two different worlds collide.One of the funniest moments is when Elsie ends up being lady in waiting to the eccentric Queen Dowager(Sybil Thorndyke and attends the coronation with her and Charles.) Although not in any way a great film this will cheer you up and you can feast your eyes on the beautiful dazzling costumes and you won't be able to take your eyes off Marilyn.She lights up the screen and is very funny and touching at the same time.Olivier appears a little uncomfortable in a lot of his scenes(maybe he had too much on his mind as he directed this as well)and in some scenes he seemed to look really creepy.However his acting works for the character of the Prince Regent who doesn't really know how to handle the situation he's in.Worth watching but don't expect much and you should really enjoy it.