Marilyn Monroe — the great actor who would be 100 on 1 June 2026 — only visited the UK once. It was for a whole four-month stint, however — and she was spotted out and about in London quite a bit during that time. Here's how to play out your Marilyn fantasies, including posh perfume shopping, lunch at Claridge's and a cheeky bike ride in the park.
Swan into Heathrow with your new husband
On 14 July 1956, Monroe and her freshly betrothed, the playwright Arthur Miller, flew into London Airport (now Heathrow), to embark on a working honeymoon. She was to shoot comedy film The Prince and the Showgirl at Pinewood Studios; he was to plug the West End run of his play A View from the Bridge. Replicate their big arrival by swanning around Terminal 5 in a pair of shades, clutching a bouquet of flowers and trailing 27 pieces of luggage behind you — you'll be sure to receive as many astonished glances as the illustrious newlyweds did back then. A fair few folk will probably take photos, too.
Turn up late to see the statue of Larry Olivier
Sir Laurence Olivier and his wife Vivien Leigh were at Heathrow to welcome the Millers; Olivier was to be Monroe's director and co-star on The Prince and the Showgirl — and although he once claimed it was impossible not to fall in love with Monroe, the raging thesp also had many a strong word against her. Sir Larry himself has long taken his final bow, but why not visit his statue outside the National Theatre (fittingly, he's dressed as another prince, namely Hamlet), and pretend he's saying such lovely things to you as you're a "curious little person" or a "thoroughly ill-mannered and rude girl". Just make sure you take your time getting there, because as Larry bemoaned, Monroe was "always late, sometimes four hours late".
Dazzle the Savoy in a stunning black number
Monroe appeared at two press conferences at the Savoy (on 15 and 16 July), in which the London public gawked through the hotel windows, at this picture of elegance in a black dress with bare midriff, and white evening gloves. The videos we can find are frustratingly sans audio, although the Daily Record tells us Monroe had some democratic words to say about her 'rival' Diana Dors: "There's room in the world for everyone." You won't look at all out of place if you show up at the Savoy dressed like Marilyn that day, although the moment you light up a ciggy and start waving out the window at passers-by, you're liable to be booted back out onto the street.
Go for a bike ride in the park
During the first of the above press conferences, Monroe was gifted a bike by the Daily Sketch newspaper. She was later pictured out riding it in Windsor, but you can make do with taking a Lime bike for a spin around nearby St James's Park, occasionally letting out a 'boop boop be-doop'.
Do lunch at Claridge's
There's some confusion over what Monroe did and didn't do at Claridge's; some claim she stayed here (though she and Miller had a house in Windsor, so that seems unlikely), others that she had afternoon tea here (we reckon the accompanying pictures were in fact taken in the Savoy). What we do know from this BBC article is that Monroe lunched at Claridge's following a second Savoy press conference on 16 July. A report in the Daily Record also tells us that Monroe wore a dark brown dress, and kissed her husband in between courses of Scottish salmon, turkey and fruit. Wonder if, by this point, Monroe realised that the film she was here to shoot was also a turkey.
Take in a West End play
Unsurprisingly, given her/her husband's profession, Monroe ventured to Theatreland on more than one occasion. On 17 July, she saw Noel Coward's South Sea Bubble at the Lyric Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue (right now you'll have to make do with Hadestown). On 7 September, it was Bertolt Brecht play, The Caucasian Chalk Circle at the Palace Theatre (wonder what Monroe would have made of Harry Potter, which has been playing at the Palace since 2016? Who are we kidding, she'd have adored it).
In 1956, Harold Pinter hadn't even written his first play, and the Harold Pinter Theatre as we know it now was the Comedy Theatre. It was here, on 11 October that Monroe and Miller arrived for the premiere of A View from the Bridge. It's not hard to find Arthur Miller plays to watch in London now; in 2026, both All My Sons and The Price are on stage. According to the Marylebone Mercury, Miller and Monroe went for drinks at Quaglino's afterwards — something else you can still do today.
In November, Monroe was back at the theatre again — this time the Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square, possibly to watch Cards of Identity.
Otherwise, go see a film at the Empire on Leicester Square. It's here, on 29 October, that Monroe met Queen Elizabeth II, at a premiere of The Battle of the River Plate. The Windsor-based Queen quipped that she and Monroe were practically neighbours. Maybe they talked about Floris perfume too — as you'll see from our final stop on the Marilyn itinerary.
Go shopping on Regent Street... and stock up on scents from Floris
On 24 August, Monroe was photographed on Regent Street wearing shades, a black dress and coat. We're not sure what she bought here, but we do know that at some point on her trip, Monroe also called in at St James's perfumery Floris. Perfumery Director Edward Bodenham tells Londonist:
My grandfather, Michael Bodenham, fondly remembers her visiting the shop when she was in London and it was a day that was always a special memory for him. From what I understand from a lady who has written several Marilyn Monroe biographies, Monroe was a great admirer of Queen Elizabeth II and so was very intrigued to visit Floris while she was in Britain as she knew that the Queen wore our fragrance.
Floris certainly left an impression on Monroe, because three years later, under the pseudonym Dorothy Blass, she had six bottles of Rose Geranium Toilet Water sent to the Beverly Hills Hotel in California, where she stayed while filming her finest movie performance of all, in Some Like It Hot. Floris still have the receipt to prove it. You can still purchase the same perfume today, made to largely the same recipe. While Monroe paid £9.19 (inc P&P) for her six bottles, though, you'll have to fork out £220 for a single bottle. Maybe try before you buy.
Other Marilyn things to do in London
📸 Check out the Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait exhibition on at the National Portrait Gallery (4 June-6 September 2026)
📸 Pose with Marilyn's waxwork at Madame Tussauds.
📸 Go watch Suzie Kennedy, a top notch Marilyn impersonator, who sometimes appears at Crazy Coqs in Brasserie Zedel.
Put together with the help of this BBC Surrey article
