"On a cool early-autumn evening in 1956, a glittering array of stars turns out in London for a Royal Film Premiere, where they will be presented to Queen Elizabeth II--an elegant young mother and wife,gracious and self-sacrificing, who has embraced her patriotic duty despite never expecting to take the throne so soon. Cameras flash, and a crowd surges forward as a limousine pulls up. Out steps a vision in dazzling gold: the greatest star of the era, Marilyn Monroe. She's a global sensation and money-making machine for Hollywood, with curves that drive men wild and a smile that lets women know she's inon the joke. Finally, the two most famous women in the world will come face-to-face in public for the first time. And the world is watching--unaware that Elizabeth and Marilyn have already had an accidental encounter that has changed their lives"--