You are live in two minutes, Your Royal Highness.
Sir?
Thank you.
Let the microphone do the work, Sir.
I'm sure you'll be splendid. Just take your time.
Time to go.
Good afternoon.
This is the BBC National Programme and Empire Service
taking you to Wembley Stadium for the Closing Ceremony of the Empire Exhibition,
where His Royal Highness, the Duke of York, will read a message from his father,
His Majesty, King George V.
58 British Colonies and Dominions have taken part, making this the largest Exhibition staged anywhere in the world.
Remember Sir, three flashes, then steady red means you're live.
Using the new invention of radio,
the Opening Ceremony was the first time his Majesty the King
addressed his subjects on the wireless.
At the close of the first season,
the heir to the throne, His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, made his first broadcast.
And today, his younger brother, His Royal Highness,
the Duke of York will give his inaugural broadcast to the nation and the world.
I have received...
from his Majesty the...
the...
the K...
the King...
Inhale deep into your lungs, Your Royal Highness.
Relaxes your larynx, does it not?
Cigarette smoking calms the nerves and, uh, gives you confidence.
Now, if Your Royal Highness would be so kind as to open your hand...
They're sterilized.
One...
two...
three...
four...
five...
six...
seven.
Now, if I may take the liberty,
insert them into your mouth.
Excuse me, Doctor. What is the purpose of this?
It's the classic approach; it cured Demosthenes.
That was in Ancient Greece, uh...
has it worked since?
Now, if you would be so kind as to read...
a Wealth of Words.
Fight against those marbles, Your Royal Highness.
Enunciate!
A little more concentration, Your Royal Highness.
I nearly swallowed the bloody things!
Thank you so much, Doctor,
it's been most...um... interesting.
Your Royal Highness.
Insert marbles!
He can in-in-insert his own bloody marbles!
Tick, tock, tick, tock.
You know, you can't keep doing this, Bertie.
I know.
Promise me...
Promise me, no more.
Ah!
Hello. Is anyone there?
I'm just in the loo.
Ah, Mrs. Johnson, there you are.
I'm sorry, I don't have a receptionist. I like to keep things simple.
"Poor and content is rich and rich enough."
- Sorry? - Shakespeare! How are you?
How do you do?
Oh, cuffing along.
Uh, now this is slightly awkward, but... I'm afraid you're late.
Yes, I'm afraid I am.
Where's Mr. Johnson?
Ah...uh...he doesn't know I'm here.
Well, that's not a very promising start.
No.
No, look, um...
My husband has seen everyone to no avail. Awfully 'fraid he's given up hope.
He hasn't seen me.
You're awfully sure of yourself.
Well, I'm sure of anyone who wants to be cured.
Of course, he wants to be cured.
My husband is um... well, he's required to speak publicly.
Perhaps he should change jobs?
He can't.
Indentured servitude?
Something of that nature. Yes.
Well, we need to have your hubby pop by...
Uh... Tuesday would be good.
He can give me his personal details, I'll make a frank appraisal,
and then we'll take it from there.
Doctor, forgive me, uh...
I don't have a hubby... We don't pop
and nor do we ever talk about our private lives.
No, you... must come to us.
I'm sorry, Mrs. Johnson, my game, my turf, my rules.
You'll have to talk over this with your husband
and then you can speak to me on the telephone.
Thank you very much for dropping by. Good afternoon.
And what if my husband were the Duke of York?
The Duke of York?
Yes... the Duke of York.
I thought the appointment was for Johnson? Forgive me, your...?
- Royal Highness. - Royal Highness.
Yes, Johnson was used during the Great War,
when the Navy didn't want the enemy to know "he" was aboard.
Am I... considered the enemy?
You will be, if you remain unobliging.
You'll appreciate the need for absolute discretion.
Of course.
How did you find me, Your Royal Highness?
The President of the Society for Speech Therapists.
Eileen McLeod? She's a sport.
She warned me your antipodean methods were unorthodox and controversial.
I warned her... those are not my favorite words.
I can cure your husband. But for my method to work I need trust and total equality.
Here, in the safety of my consultation room.
No exceptions.
Oh well, in that case...
When can you start?
She's still sounding a bit rough, mate.
You make me drive too slowly, Dad!
Did you pick mum up from Bridge?
Yea, I've hardly been out of the car all day.
I had a special visitor this afternoon.
- May I please leave the table - How special is special?
No, you must stay, bored stupid, listening to your parent's inane conversation.
- Thanks Dad... - and Mum... - and Mum.
- Me too. - You meeting Jean?
No, someone else.
Doctor... doctor?
Go and help your brother with the washing up.
Uh, I'm fine.
Who is it, Lionel?
Why bring it up if you can't talk about it?
Myrtle, it's just a woman, looking to help her husband.
Oh! And I had a call.
For an audition.
- One of my favorites. - Aren't they all?
It could be a lot of fun.
I'm sure you'll be splendid.
In the amateur scene they're a highly regarded group.
From Putney.
Now that's all girls. Tomorrow, chapter four -
"The Flight".
- Oh Momma, I don't know "The Flight" book. - I can't wait!
Oh, to fly away!
Weren't they lucky!
Now, Papa tell a story!
Can't I be a penguin instead?
Well, now I want to hear a penguin story.
Very quickly.
Once, there were two princesses...
Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret,
whose Papa was a penguin.
This was because he had been turned into one by a wicked witch.
This was very inconvenient for him because he loved...
to hold his princesses in his arms...
but you can't if you're a penguin because you have wings like herrings.
Herrings don't have wings.
Penguins have wings which are shaped like herrings
And what made matters worse...
is that she...she sent him to the South Pole,
which is an awfully long walk back if...if...,
you can't fly.
So when he reached the water, he...
he dived in, through the depths,
so fast that he was in Southampton waters by lunchtime.
And from there, he took the 2:30 to Weybridge,
changed at Clapham Junction, asked a-a-a... a passing mallard the way to Buckingham Palace.
He swam up the Thames, out through the plughole,
and gave the cook,
Mama and Mrs. Whittaker quite a shock.
Now when the girls heard all the commotion,
they ran to the kitchen where they gave him a... a good scrub,
a mackerel and a kiss.
And as they kissed him,
guess what he turned into?
A handsome prince.
A short-tailed albatross.
Oh...
With wings so big...
that he could wrap them both around his two girls together.
Now, girls... time for bed. C'mon...
And take those horses to the stable.
Quickly now, you have exactly a minute!
Goodnight!
Feed them, brush them and to bed.
Will Mrs. Simpson be there?
My brother's insisting.
Is he serious?
About her coming to dinner?
No. About her!
A married woman? He can't be.
She can.
By the way, I think I found someone rather interesting.
On Harley Street. A doctor.
Out of the question.
I'm not having this conversation again. The matter... the matter's settled.
His approach seems rather different...
Now?
Now.
"Now is the winter of our discontent,"
"Made glorious summer by this sun of York."
“And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house"
"In the deep bosom of the ocean buried."
"Now are our brows, bound with victorious wreaths..."
Thank you!
Lovely diction Mister...?
Logue. Lionel Logue.
Well, Mr. Logue.
I'm not hearing the cries of a deformed creature yearning to be King.
Nor did I realize Richard the Third was King of the Colonies.
I do know all the lines. I've played the role before.
- Sydney? - Perth.
Major theater town, is it?
Enthusiastic.
- Ah. - I was well reviewed.
Yes...
Well... Lionel,
I think our dramatic society
is looking for someone slightly younger...
and, a...
little more regal.
No, you have to put...
Shut that one first.
Close that one first...
That's it!
Where did you find this... physician?
Classifieds,
next to a "French model, Shepherd's Market".
And he comes highly recommended.
Charges substantial fees to help the poor.
Oh dear, perhaps he's a Bolshevik!
Ah, there's no receptionist... likes to keep things simple.
Ah...
The Johnsons.
You can go in now, Mr. Johnson.
Lionel says...
wait here if you wish, Mrs. Johnson.
Or, it being a p...
pleasant day...
p-perhaps take a stroll.
Was that al-alright, Lionel?
Marvellous Willy. You can stay here and wait for your mum.
Mrs. Johnson...
Mr. Johnson, do come in.
Would you like a sweetie?
He's a good lad, Willy.
He could hardly make a sound, you know, when he first came to me.
My boys make those. They're good, aren't they?
Please, make yourself comfortable.
I was told not to sit too close.
Well I believe when speaking with a Prince,
one waits for the prince to choose the topic.
Waiting for me to...
commence a conversation, one can w-wait rather a long wait.
Do you know any jokes?
Timing isn't my strong suit.
Cup o' tea?
No... No thank you.
I think I'll have one.
Aren't you going to start treating me, Dr. Logue?
Only if you're interested in being treated.
Please, call me Lionel.
No... I...
prefer Doctor.
I prefer Lionel.
What'll I call you?
Your Royal Highness, then... then Sir after that.
It's a little bit formal for here. I prefer names.
Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George.
How about Bertie?
Only my family uses that.
Perfect. In here, it's better if we're equals.
If we were equal I wouldn't be here.
I'd be at... at... home with my wife
and no-one would give a damn.
Please, don't do that.
I'm sorry?
I believe sucking smoke into your lungs will kill you.
My physicians say it relaxes th-th-the throat.
They're idiots.
They've all been knighted.
Makes it official then.
My ‘castle', my rules.
Thank you.
What was your earliest memory?
What on earth do you mean?
Your first recollection.
I'm not...
here to discuss my personal matters.
Why are you here then?
Because I bloody well stammer!
You have a bit of a temper?
One of my many faults.
When did the defect start?
I've always been this way!
I doubt that.
Don't tell me! It's my stammer!
It's my field. I can assure you, no infant starts to speak with a stammer.
When did yours start?
Four or five.
That's typical.
So I've been told.
I-I can't remember not doing it.
I can believe that. Do you hesitate when you think?
Don't be ridiculous.
How about when you talk to yourself?
Everyone natters occasionally Bertie.
St-stop calling me that!
I... I'm not going to call you anything else.
Then we shan't speak!
Are you charging for this, Doctor?
A fortune.
I'll just let that brew.
So, when you talk to yourself, do you stammer?
Of course not!
Well, that proves that your impediment isn't a permanent part of you.
What do you think was the cause?
Don't know.
I-I don't... I don't c-care! I-I stammer!
No one can fix it.
I'll bet you that you can read flawlessly, right here, right now.
And if I win the bet, I get to ask you more questions.
And if I win?
Well, you don't have to answer them.
One usually...
wagers money.
The bob each to keep it sweet?
Let's see your shilling?
I don't... carry money.
I had a funny feeling you mightn't.
I'll stake you and you can pay me back next time.
Who says there is a next time?
I haven't agreed to take you on, yet.
Please stand and take a look at that...
from there.
Uh, I... I can't read this.
Well, then you owe me a shilling for not trying.
To be... or not to be, that...
Here...can't read!
Uh, uh, uh... I haven't finished yet.
I'm going to record your voice and then play it back to you on the same machine.
This is brilliant.
It's the latest thing from America. It's a Silvertone.
Pop these on?
There's a bob in this, mate. You can go home rich!
- You're playing music. - I know.
So how can I hear what I'm saying?
Well surely a Prince's brain knows what its mouth is doing?
You're not well acquainted with Royal Princes, are you?
Hopeless. Hopeless!
You were sublime.
Would I lie to a prince of the realm to win twelve-pence?
I've no idea what an Australian might do for that sort of money.
Let me play it back to you.
No.
Alright then, I get to ask you the questions.
Thank you Doctor,
I don't... feel this is for me.
Thank you for your time.
Bye.
Sir?
The recording is free.
Please keep it as a souvenir.
No.
Oh well.
Bugger!
For the present, the work to which we are all equally bound,
is to arrive at a reasoned tranquillity within our borders...
to regain prosperity at this time of depression,
without self-seeking
and to carry with us those whom the burden of past years has disheartened
or overborne.
To all, to each,
I wish a happy Christmas. God bless you.
And over...
Easy when you know how.
Sir?
Have a go yourself.
Congratulations, Sir.
Ah, Mr. Wood.
Splendid fellow. Chap who taught me everything I know:
Let the microphone do the work.
Sir.
Thank you.
Gentlemen...
Sit up, straight back,
face boldly up to the bloody thing and stare it square in the eye,
as you would any decent Englishman.
Show who's in command.
Papa, I don't... think I can read this.
This devilish device will change everything if you don't.
In the past all a King had to do was look respectable in uniform
and not fall off his horse.
Now we must invade people's homes and ingratiate ourselves with them.
This family bas been reduced to those lowest, basest of all creatures...
we've become actors!
We're not a family, we're a firm.
Yet at any moment, some of us may be out of work.
Your darling brother, and future king!
The only wife he appears interested in is invariably the wife of another!
He's broken off with Lady Furness.
And taken up a Mrs. Simpson,
a woman with two husbands living!
I told him straight: no divorced person can ever be received at court.
He said it made him "sublimely happy."
I imagined that was because she was sleeping with him.
"I give you my word", this is what he said.
"I give you my word we've never had immoral relations."
Stared square into his father's face... and lied!
When I'm dead that boy will ruin himself, this family and this nation within 12 months.
Who'll pick up the pieces, hmm?
Herr Hitler, intimidating half of Europe, Marshall Stalin the other half?
Who will stand between us, the jackboots, and the proletarian abyss?
You?
Well...
with your older brother shirking his duties, you're going to have to do a lot more of this.
Have a go yourself.
Through the...
...wireless...
Get it out boy!
- one of the... marvels of m-m- - Modern...
Just take your time... form your words carefully.
... science, I am enabled...
Relax!
Just try it!
...this Christmas Day...
...to speak to all my...
Do it!
Lying... bastard.
- "You're playing music." - "I know."
"But how can I... hear what I'm saying?"
"Well surely a Prince's brain knows what it's mouth is doing."
"You're not... well acquainted with Royal Princes, are you?"
"To be, or not to be: That is the question:"
"Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,"
"Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them."
"To die: to sleep; no more;"
"and by a sleep to say we end the heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation..."
"Hopeless... hopeless!"
Strictly business.
No p.. personal nonsense.
Yes, I... I thought I'd made that clear in our interview.
Have you got the shilling you owe me?
No I haven't!
Didn't think so.
Besides, y-you... you tricked me!
Physical exercises and tricks are important.
But what you're asking will only deal with the surface of the problem.
That's sufficient.
Ah, no, as far as I see it, my husband has
mechanical difficulties with his speech.
Maybe just deal with that.
I...
- I... I'm willing to work hard, Doctor Logue... - Lionel.
Are you... are you... are you willing to do your part?
Alright. You want mechanics?
We need to relax your jaw muscles, strengthen your tongue,
by repeating tongue twisters. For example:
"I am a thistle-sifter. I have a sieve of sifted thistles"
"and a sieve of unsifted thistles."
"because I am a thistle sifter."
Fine!
And you do have a flabby tummy, so we'll need to spend some time strengthening in your diaphragm.
Simple mechanics.
That's all we ask.
And all that's about a shilling's worth.
Forget about the blessed shilling!
Perhaps, upon occasion,
you might be requested to assist...
in coping with s...
with some minor event.
Would that be agreeable?
Of course.
Yes, and that would be the full extent of your services.
Shall I see you next week?
I shall see you every day.
Feel the looseness of the jaw.
Good, little bounces, bounces...
Shoulders loose, shoulders loose...
Now loose...
Take a nice deep breath. Expand the chest...
Put your hands onto your ribs.
Deeper... good!
How do you feel?
Full of hot air.
Isn't that what public speaking is all about?
My wife and I are glad to visit this important...
Take a good deep breath and up comes Her Royal Highness,
and slowly exhale, and down comes Her Royal Highness.
You alright, Bertie?
- Yes. - It's actually quite good fun.
- Mmmmm-mother. - Shorten the humming each time.
- Mmmm-mother. - Mmmm...
- Mmm-manufacturing district... - Another deep breath and...
- Jack and Jill - Jack and Jill
- went up the hill... - went up the hill...
Now just sway...
Perfect!
... will not permit us to...
Loosen the shoulders...
- Ding, dong, bell, Pussy's in the well - Who put her in?
Little Tommy Thin.
You have a short memory, Bertie, c'mon...
- A cow. - A cow, a cow, a cow...
- A King. - A King...
- Ahhhhhhh... - Ahhhhhhhh...
Anyone who can shout vowels at an open window can learn to deliver a speech!
... and keep, keep... fifty!
Good! Deep breath and...
It is...
Let the words flow...
No! It doesn't bloody work!
C'mon, one more time, Bertie. You can do it!
A sieve of sifted thistles...
- Eeeeeeeee - Eeeeeeeee - Eeeeeeeee
- Father... - F-father... - Father...
- Father! - Father...
Father! Father...
- Hello, Bertie. - Hello David.
Nice of you to come out.
Not at all.
You've been waiting long?
Right, it's bloody freezing!
Where've you been?
- I've been busy. - So have I.
Elizabeth has pneumonia.
Oh, I'm sorry. She'll recover.
Father won't.
I'll drive.
Old bugger's doing this on purpose.
Dying?
Departing prematurely... to complicate matters with Wallis.
Oh.
For heaven's sake, David. You know how long he's been ill.
Wallis explained. She's terribly clever about these things.
Whereas by letters patent under the Great Seal, bearing date of Westminster, the 11th day of June, 1912
His Majesty King George V did constitute, order and declare that there should be a guardian,
What's going on here?
- Custos Regni, in the form of Councilors of State - I... I cannot follow you, I'm confused...
- I... I don't understand what you're talking... - It's the order of the Council of State, Sir.
So we may act on your behalf.
Well, I'm... I'm still confused...but...
Approved.
Thank you.
Let me help you, Sir.
Ah yes.
Thank you.
Feeling a little better Sir?
No, I'm not feeling any better. I feel dreadful.
Ah... been ice skating? ... Ice skating?
No. No, George.
Yes. Yes, alright, of course.
I know, darling, a talk, even a lovely long talk, is a poor substitute
for holding tight and making drowsy. Nor making our own drowsies either,
as we've had to do far too often lately.
David, the dinner.
I'm on with Wallis!
Bertie...no...
No, it's not important.
Oh... I don't want to.
No... telephone me later?
Alright, goodbye.
Wallis misses me terribly.
Mama says you're late for dinner.
She forgets Papa's bloody clocks move half an hour fast!
How's the king? I... I hope he's not in pain.
No, no, Sir, His Majesty's quieter now.
Thank you.
David, if your father were here, tardiness would not be tolerated.
None of this unpleasantness would be tolerated.
You know Sir, I appreciate that you are different from your father...
both in outlook and temperament.
I want you to know that whenever the King questioned your conduct,
I tried, in your interest, to present it in the most favourable light.
I can always trust you to have my best interests at heart.
I fear, our vigil will not be of long duration.
Please, continue.
Let us commend our brother George to the mercy of God, our Maker and Redeemer.
Long live the King.
I hope I will make good as he has made good.
What on earth was that?
Poor Wallis. Now I'm trapped!
And in these last 25 crowded, troubled, glorious years, if there is one thing
that King George has taught,
it is the art of the leader who is also a brother to his followers.
As long as he lived, he was the guiding star of a great nation.
Dad?
Hmm-hmm?
Time for a Shake, dad?
You sure?
Go on.
Put your thinking caps on.
I bet it's the Scottish play.
No, it's Othello. It's always Othello.
"Art thou afeard?"
"Be not afeard."
Caliban!
Oh! For heaven's sake... that was a lucky guess!
Don't listen to egghead. Go on, Dad.
"The isle is full of noises, sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not."
"Sometimes a thousand twanging instruments will hum about mine ears;"
"and sometimes voices, that if then I had waked after long sleep will make me sleep again"
Alright, clever clogs, so what comes next?
- "and then, in dreaming, methought the clouds would open... - "... the clouds methought..."
"...the clouds methought would open,"
"and show riches ready to drop upon me, that when I awaked..."
- "I cried to dream again." - "I cried to dream again."
That's such a sad thought.
My next patient must be a bit early.
You better go lads, I'm sorry.
Won't be a moment, Clifford.
Bertie!
They told me not to expect you.
I'm sorry about your father.
I don't wish to intrude...
Oh no, not at all. Please come in, come in.
I've been practicing an hour a day. In spite of everything.
What's going on there?
Oh... I was, sorry, mucking around with my kids.
Do you feel like working today?
Curtis bi-plane.
I'll put on some hot milk.
Logue... Logue! Kill for something stronger.
I wasn't there for my father's death. Still makes me sad.
I can imagine so.
What did you father do?
Uh, he was a brewer.
At least there was free beer.
Here's to... memory of your father.
I was informed, after the-the fact,
that my father's... my father's last words were:
"Bertie has more guts than the rest of his brothers put together."
He couldn't say that to my face.
My brother...
What about him?
Try singing it.
I'm sorry...
What songs do you know?
Songs?
Yes songs.
Swanee River.
I love that song.
Happens to be my favorite.
Sing me the chorus.
No. Certainly not.
I always wanted to build models. But... father wouldn't allow it.
He... collected stamps, so we had to collect stamps.
You can finish that off if you sing.
My brother David, dum-dum-dum-dum...
I'm not going to sit here, warbling.
You can with me.
'Cause you're peculiar.
I take that as a compliment.
Well...
rules are rules.
I'm not c-c-crooning Swanee River!
Camptown Races then.
"My brother David said to me, doo-dah doo-dah..."
- Continuous sound will give you flow. - No.
Does it feel strange, now that David's on the throne?
To tell the truth,
it was a relief...
knowing I wouldn't be... King.
But unless he produces an heir, you're next in line.
And your daughter, Elizabeth, would then succeed you.
"You're barking up the wrong tree now, Doctor, Doctor."
Lionel. See? You didn't stammer.
Of course I didn't stammer, I was singing.
Well, as a little reward, you get to put some glue on these struts.
Your boy wo... won't mind?
No, not at all.
David and I were... very close. Young bucks... you know.
Did you... chase the same girls?
David was always very helpful in, uh, in arranging introductions.
We shared the expert ministrations of Paulette in Paris.
Not at the same time, of course.
Did David ever tease you?
Oh yes, they all did! "Buh-buh-buh-buh-Bertie".
Father encouraged it.
Says... "Get it out, boy!" Said it w-would make me stop.
He said that, "I was afraid of... of my father, and m-my children are d-d-damn well going to be afraid of me."
Are you naturally right handed?
Left.
I was p-punished, and now I use the right.
Yes, that's very common with stammerers.
Anything other corrections?
Knock knees.
Metal splints were made... wo-worn day and night.
Must have been painful.
Bloody agony. Straight legs now.
Who were you closest to in your family?
Nannies. Not my first nanny, ... she, she... she loved David... hated me.
When we were presented to my parents for the daily viewing, she would...
she'd pinch me...
so that I'd cry and be handed back to her immediately.
And then she would... w...
Sing it.
"Then she wouldn't feed me, far far away."
It took my parents three years to notice.
A-as you, as you can imagine, it caused some stomach problems. S-still.
What about your brother - Johnny?
Were you close to him?
Johnny... was a sweet boy.
Epilepsy...
and he's... "different".
He died at th-thirteen, hidden from view.
I'm told it's not... catching.
Do you want a top-up?
Please.
You know, Lionel, you're the first ordinary Englishman...
Australian.
I've ever really spoken to.
When I'm driven through the streets and I see the, you know,
Common Man staring at me,
I'm struck by how little I know of his life, and how little he knows of mine.
Thank you.
What're friends for.
I wouldn't know.
"I sifted seven thick-stalked thistles through strong thick sieves. I sifted seven thick..."
- Enough now, darling, no? - Listen, I have to keep doing this. It's your fault.
"I sifted seven thick-stalked..."
One hundred year old spruces, removed to improve the view?
Who does she think she is?!
Nonetheless, we must try to be pleasant towards Mrs. Simpson.
You know she calls me "The Fat Scottish Cook"?
You're not fat.
I'm getting plump.
Well, you seldom cook.
I sifted seven...
Shut up!
Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York.
How lovely to see you both.
Welcome to our little country shack.
I came at the invitation of the King.
Your Majesty.
You alright?
Sorry we're late.
Very nice to see you...
Mrs. Simpson.
Very nice.
Hello David.
You're making some... changes to the garden, I see.
Yes, I'm not... not quite finished yet.
Don't tell me I behaved badly, Mr. Churchill.
On the contrary, your Royal Highness. Etiquette decrees that royalty should be greeted
by the official host: in this case, the King.
- Not a commoner. - Thank you.
What is her hold on him?
I have no idea.
Apparently she has certain "skills",
acquired in an establishment in Shanghai.
David...
It'll just be a sec, darling. Excuse me.
David, I've been trying to see you...
I've been terribly busy.
Doing what?
- Kinging. - Really?
Kinging...
is a precarious business these days.
Where's the Russian Tsar? Where's Cousin Wilhelm?
You're being dreary.
Is Kinging laying off eighty staff and buying more pearls for Wallis
- while people are marching across Europe singing The Red Flag. - Stop your worrying.
Herr Hitler will sort them out.
And who'll sort out Herr Hitler?
Where's the bloody '23?
And you've put that woman in our mother's suite?
Mama's not still in the bed, is she?
That's not funny.
Here it is...
Wallis likes the very best.
I don't care what woman you carry on with at night,
as long as you show up for duty in the morning!
Wallis is not just some woman I am carrying on with.
We intend to marry.
Excuse me?
She's filing a petition for divorce.
Good God.
Can't you just give her a nice house and a title?
I not having her as my mistress.
The Church does not recognise divorce and you are the head of the Church.
Haven't I any rights?
Many privileges...
Not the same thing.
Your beloved Common Man may marry for love,
why not me?
If you were a Common Man, on what basis could you possibly claim to be King?!
Sounds like you've studied our wretched constitution.
Sounds like you haven't.
That's what this is about. Brushing up... hence the elocution lessons?
That's the scoop around town.
I'm trying to t-t...
Yearning for a larger audience are we, B-b-b-bertie?
D-don't...
What's that?
I'm sorry...
Younger brother trying to push older brother off throne...
P-p-p-p-positively medieval.
- Wallis... - Ah!
Where have you been all this time?
- Who have you been talking to? - Never you mind!
Ahhh... what a complicated lovely coon you are.
I try to be.
All that work, down the drain.
My own b-brother...
I couldn't say a single w-word to him in reply!
Why do you stammer so much more with David than you ever do with me?
Because you're bloody well paid to listen!
Bertie, I'm not a geisha girl.
Stop trying to be so bloody clever!
What is it about David that stops you speaking?
What is it about you, that bloody well makes you want to go on about him the whole bloody time?
Vulgar but fluent. You don't stammer when you swear.
Oh bugger off!
Is that the best you can do?
Well, bloody bugger to you, you beastly bastard.
Oh, a public school prig could do better than that.
Shit!
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!
- Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! - Yes!
Defecation flows trippingly from the tongue!
Because I'm angry!
You know the f-word?
Fffff...
Fornication?
Oh Bertie.
Fuck.
Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuckin' fuck!!
Fuck, fuckin' bugger.
Bugger, bugger, buggitty, buggitty, buggitty, fuck, fuck, ass!!
- Yes! - Balls, balls, fuckity...
- You see, not a hesitation. -Shit, shit, fuckin' willy!
Willy, shit and fuck, and tits!
Dad? What's going on?
Sorry. Just finish your homework.
Well... that's a side of you we don't get to see all that often.
No. No, we're not supposed to really, not publicly.
Let's get some air.
Logue! Logue, I don't think that's a good idea.
What's the matter? Why're you so upset?
Logue, you... you have no idea.
My...
My brother is infatuated with a woman who's been married twice.
She's asking for a divorce and he's determined to marry her.
Jesus!
Mrs. Wallis Simpson of Baltimore.
That's not right. Queen Wallis of Baltimore?
Unthinkable.
Can he do it?
Absolutely not. But he's going to anyway.
All hell's broken loose.
Can't they just carry on privately?
If only they would.
Where does this leave you?
I know my place.
I... I...
I will do anything... in my power to keep my brother on the throne.
Is it that serious?
Your place may well be on the throne.
I am not an alternative to my brother.
You can outshine David...
Don't take liberties!
That's bordering on treason.
I'm just saying you could be King. You could do it!
That is treason!
I'm trying to get you to realise you needn't be governed by fear.
I've had enough of this!
What're you so afraid of?
Your poisonous words!
Why'd you come to me?
You're not some middle class banker, who wants elocution lessons
so you can chit-chat...
Oh, don't attempt to instruct me on my duties!
I am the son of a... King,
the brother of... of a king.
You're the disappointing son of a brewer!
Jumped-up jackeroo from the outback!
You're nobody.
These sessions are over!
Through here, Sir.
It's not because she's an American. That is the least of it.
It's because she's a soon to be twice divorced American,
and the King, as head of The Church of England, cannot marry a divorced woman.
And Sir, I apologize for the nature of this.
According to Scotland Yard, the King has not always possessed exclusive rights...
to Mrs. Simpson's, um... favours and affections...
sharing them with a married used car salesman,
a certain Mr. Guy Trundle.
In addition, it is also rumoured...
Hitler's ambassador, Count von Ribbentrop, sends her 17 carnations every day.
Should His Majesty continue to ignore the advice of His Government, He must abdicate.
Otherwise His Government has no choice but to resign.
Prime Minister,
you'd leave the country without... a government?
Does the King do what he wants,
or does he do what the people expect him to do?
"As crowds in Downing Street watch Ministers come and go, there is raised an age-old problem:"
"Can a King separate His personal life from His public duty?"
What's the matter, love?
I'm just having trouble with a patient.
That isn't like you.
Why?
He's scared... he's afraid of his own shadow.
Isn't that why they come to you?
This fellow could really be somebody great... he's fighting me.
Perhaps he doesn't want to be great.
Perhaps that's what you want.
I might have overstepped the mark.
Apologize.
Do you both good.
I'm very sorry, Mr. Logue, the Duke is busy.
I'm happy to wait. Or I could come back later.
As I said, the Duke is terribly busy.
Thank you.
Parliament will not support their marriage.
But there are other reasons for concern.
He was careless with state papers. He lacked commitment and resolve.
And there are those who are worried about where he will stand when war comes with Germany.
We're not coming to that?
Indeed we are, Sir.
Prime Minister Baldwin may deny this, but Hitler's intent is crystal clear.
War with Germany will come,
and we will need a King whom we can all stand behind, united.
I fear my...
brother is not of sound mind... at this time.
Have you thought what you will call yourself? Hmm?
I... I...
Certainly not Albert, Sir. Too Germanic.
What about George?
After your father?
George the Sixth... has rather a nice continuity to it, don't you think?
David! Thank God.
You look exhausted!
How are you bearing up?
Bertie, the decision's been made. I'm...
I'm going.
I can't accept that. You are in no condition...
I'm afraid there's no other way.
I must marry her.
My mind's made up. I'm... sorry.
That's a terrible thing to hear.
Nobody wants that. I least of all.
At long last I am able to say a few words of my own.
I have never wanted to withhold anything, but until now,
it has not been constitutionally possible for me to speak.
A few hours ago, I discharged my last duty as King and Emperor.
And now that I have been succeeded by my brother, the Duke of York
my first words must be to declare my allegiance to him.
This I do with all my heart.
You all know the reasons which have impelled me to renounce the throne.
But you must believe me, when I tell you
that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility
and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do
without the help and support of the woman I love.
And I want you to know,
this decision has been made less difficult to me
by the sure knowledge that my brother, with his long training
in the public affairs of this country,
and with his fine qualities,
will be able to take my place forthwith
without interruption or injury to the life and progress of the empire.
I meet you today...
in...
in circumstances which are...
- Mama, here's a horse and saddle. - Thank you! Oops!
Don't worry, Snowy, we'll get your food back in a minute.
- Mama? - Yes.
Will we have space for our horses in our new home?
Of course we will, darling, we'll have a palace of rooms.
Curtsey.
Your Majesty.
How was it?
I... was trying to...
familiarise myself with...
what a state paper looks like.
It's a...
dispatch from... Mr. Baldwin, which I-I don't understand a word of.
David's finances.
Christmas... broadcast...
Ah!
- I think that would be a mistake. - No, don't worry about that.
There... now...
Plans for Coronation.
I think that would have been even a bigger mistake.
I'm not a King.
I'm a naval officer; that's all I know.
I'm not a King, I'm not a King!
I'm sorry.
No...
-I'm sorry. - Don't repeat it, please.
My dear, my dear, dear man...
I'm sorry...
You know... I refused your first two marriage proposals,
not because I didn't love you,
but because I couldn't bear the idea of the royal life.
Couldn't bear the idea of a life of tours, of public duty, or...
or a life that no longer was really to be my own.
But then I thought...
he stammers so beautifully they'll leave us alone.
Waiting for a king to apologize, one can wait rather a long wait.
I'm afraid we're slightly late.
This is home. Myrtle's at bridge. I made sure the boys were out.
It's lovely.
Absolutely lovely.
Ah... may I sit down?
Yes, of course.
Would you like some tea, Ma'am?
Yes. I'll help myself.
Off you go...
Or must I knock your heads together?
Here's your shilling,
I...
I understand...
what you were trying to say, Logue.
I went about it the wrong way.
I'm sorry.
So... here I am.
Is the nation ready for two... minutes of radio silence?
Every stammerer always fears going back to square one.
I don't let that happen.
If I f-fail in my duty...
David could come back.
I've seen the... the placards:
"God Save Our King!"
Don't mean me.
Every other monarch in h-h-history
has succeeded someone who was dead,
or just about to be.
My predecessor is not only alive, but very much so.
Bloody mess!
Can't even give them a Christmas Speech.
Like your Dad used to do?
Precisely.
But he's not here anymore.
Yes he is. He's on that shilling I gave you.
Easy enough to give away. You don't have to carry him around in your pocket.
Or your brother.
You don't need to be afraid of the things you were afraid of when you were five.
You're very much your own man, Bertie.
Am I?
Your face is next, mate.
Lionel dear?
Myrtle!
- Is this your wife? - Yes.
Bertie, come here.
- Are you alright, Logue? - Yes.
- Well, shouldn't we go through? - Trust me. It's important.
What is it?
- Your... Your... - It's Your Majesty... the first time.
After that, it's Ma'am, as in Ham, not Ma'lm as in Palm.
I haven't told her about us. Sit down, relax.
I'm told your husband calls my husband Bertie
and my husband calls your husband Lionel.
I trust you won't call me Liz.
Your Majesty, you may call me Mrs. Logue, Ma'am.
Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Logue.
Logue, we can't stand here all day.
Yes we can. I need to wait for the right moment.
- Logue, you're being a coward! - You're damn right.
Get out there, man!
Hello, Myrtle darling!
You're early. I believe you two have met! But I didn't think you know...
King George the Sixth.
It's very nice to meet you.
Will their Majesties be staying to dinner?
We'd love to, such a treat, but, uh, alas, a...
previous engagement. What a pity.
- Archbishop. - Welcome, your Majesty.
What a glorious transformation, Sir.
I hope you'll forgive us if we continue out preparations.
And now, uh, allow me to guide you through the ceremony.
We begin, of course, at the west door, into the nave.
I see all your pronouncements are to be broadcast, Archbishop.
Ah, yes, wireless. It is indeed a Pandora's Box.
And I'm afraid I've also had to permit the newsreel cameras.
The product of which I shall personally edit.
Without momentary hesitations.
This is Doctor Logue of Harley Street. He's... my speech therapist.
Had I known that Your Majesty was seeking assistance
I should've made my own recommendation.
Dr. Logue w...
will be attending the Coronation.
Well, well of course I'll speak to the Dean, but it will be extremely difficult.
I should like the... Doctor to be seated in the... King's Box.
But members of your family will be seated there, Sir.
That is why it is suitable.
And now, if you don't mind Your Grace, we need the premises.
My dear fellow, this is Westminster Abbey! The Church must prepare his Majesty.
My preparations are equally as important.
With complete privacy, if you don't mind.
Those are my wishes, Your Grace.
I will place the Abbey at Your Majesty's disposal... this evening. Your Majesty.
I can't believe I'm walking on Chaucer and Handel and Dickens.
Everything alright? Let's get cracking.
I'm not here to rehearse, Doctor Logue.
Call me Lionel.
True, you... never... called yourself "Doctor".
I did that... for you.
No training, no... diploma, no... qualifications.
Just a... great deal of nerve.
The Star Chamber inquisition, is this?
You asked for trust and... t-total equality.
Bertie, I heard you at Wembley. I was there.
My son Laurie said Dad, do you think you could help that poor man?
What, as... as a failed actor?
It's true, I'm not a doctor. And yes I acted a bit.
Well, I recited in pubs, I taught elocution in schools.
When the Great War came,
all our soldiers were returning to Australia from the front,
a lot of them shell-shocked, unable to speak.
Somebody said, Lionel, you're very good at all this speech stuff.
Do you think you could possibly help these poor buggers.
I did muscle therapy, exercises, relaxation, but I knew I had to go deeper.
Those poor young blokes had cried out in fear. No one was listening to them.
My job was to give them faith in their own voice...
and let them know that a friend was listening.
That must ring a few bells with you, Bertie.
You give a very noble account of yourself.
Make inquiries. It's all true.
Inquiries have been made. You have no idea who I have breathing down my neck?
I vouched for you and you have no cr... cr...
- credentials. - But lots of success! I can't show you a certificate...
there was no training then. Everything I know I know from experience,
and that war... was some experience.
My plaque says, "L. Logue, Speech Defects."
Not Doctor -- there are no letters after my name.
- Lock me in the Tower. - I would if I could!
- On what charge? - Fraud!
With war looming, you've saddled this nation with a voiceless... King!
You destroyed the happiness of my family, all for the sake of ensnaring a star...
patient you couldn't p-possibly hope to assist!
It'll be like mad... K-K-King George the Third.
There'll be... mad King George the stammerer...
who let his people down so badly in their hour of need...
What're you doing? Get up! You can't sit there! Get up!
Why not? It's a chair.
Look, it, that is not a chair, that is... that is...
- That is Saint Edward's Chair! - People have carved their names on it.
That chair is the seat on which every King and Queen...
- It's held in a place by a large rock! - That's the Stone of Scone,
- you are trivialising everything. - Oh,you can believe all that bunk.
- I don't care how many royal assholes have... - Listen to me!
- sat in this chair. - Listen to me. Listen to me!
Listen to you?! By what right?
By the divine right, if you must! I'm your King!
No you're not! You told me so yourself. You said you didn't want it.
- Why should I waste my time listening to you? - Because I have a right to be heard!
- Heard as what?! - I HAVE A VOICE!
Yes you do.
You have such a perseverance, Bertie, you're the bravest man I know.
You'll make a bloody good king.
- What on earth's going on, Sir? - It's quite alright, Archbishop.
Mr. Logue, you must know that I found a replacement English specialist
with impeccable credentials. Hence, your services will no longer be required.
- I'm sorry? - Your Majesty's function is to consult and be advised.
Now you didn't consult, but you have just been advised.
And now I advise you: in this personal matter I will make my own decision.
My concern is for the head on which I must place the crown.
I appreciate that Archbishop, but it's my head!
Your humble servant.
Thank you Bertie.
Shall we rehearse? Come on -- up on your perch!
Now when you and Elizabeth enter through the West door,
you will be greeted by the hymn "I Was Glad When They Said Unto Me".
Well actually, you won't be that glad, because they sing it for a very long time.
Then your friend the Archbishop will ponce up the stairs towards you
and say, "Sir, is Your Majesty willing to take The Oath?"
- I am willing. - But of course you are!
I'm gonna see what it sounds like in the cheap seats
so even your old nanny can hear.
Will you govern your peoples of Great Britain, Ireland, Canada,
Australia and New Zealand according to their lands and customs?
- "I solemnly promise to do so." - LOUDER! I can't hear you up the back.
I SOLEMNLY PROMISE TO DO SO!
Very good!
"And will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy,
to be executed in all your judgments?"
"I will." I WILL!
Then there's a very long bit about upholding the faith,
it goes on... rubbish, rubbish, rubbish... to which you finally say...
"The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep"
"So help me God."
And that's all you'll say. Four short responses,
kiss the book and sign the oath and you're King.
Easy.
You nearly crowned him backwards Archbishop!
Someone had removed the thread marking the back of the Crown, Sir.
Try not lose the thread, Archbishop.
Archbishop, we're missing Papa.
Very good. Very good, Archbishop.
Well, I hope Your Majesties are thrilled with the result.
You, you can switch that machine off now.
No, wait, keep going.
Do take a seat, Archbishop.
- Papa? - Mmm? - Papa, what's he saying?
I don't know, but he seems to be saying it rather well.
Sir, I have asked to see you today in order to tender my resignation as Prime Minister.
I am so sorry to hear that, Mr. Baldwin.
Neville Chamberlain will take my place as Prime Minister.
It's a matter of principal. I was mistaken.
I have found it impossible to believe that there is any man in the World
so lacking in moral feeling as Hitler,
that the world may be hurled for a second time into the abyss of destructive War.
Churchill was right all along. This was always Hitler's intention.
I am only very sorry to leave you at this great time of crisis.
I am very much afraid Sir, that your greatest test is yet to come.
I am speaking to you from the cabinet room at 10 Downing Street.
This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin
handed the German Government a final note
stating that unless we heard from them by 11 o'clock
that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland,
a state of war would exist between us.
I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received,
and that consequently this country is at war with Germany.
At last Sir, here is your speech. You are on air at six.
I've timed it to just under nine minutes. The wording is fully approved.
The Prime Minister will be joining you for the broadcast
which will go out live across the Nation, the Empire and to our Armed Forces.
Get Logue here immediately.
- There's the barrage balloons. - Yes.
They got them up there quickly.
- Should we pull over and find shelter? - No no, go straight there. We'll be alright.
- Yes. Sir? - Lionel Logue.
Major Hartley's expecting me. This is my son Laurie.
- Thank you, Laurie. - Good luck, Dad.
- The King's Speech. - Thank you, Sir.
We have about forty minutes to the broadcast.
Thank you very much. Thank you.
There may be dark days ahead... and...
Try again.
There may be dark days ahead, and...
Turn the hesitations into pauses, and say to yourself, God Save the King.
I say that continuously, but apparently no one's listening.
Long pauses are good: they add solemnity to great occasions.
Then I'm the solemnest king who ever lived.
You know, i-if I'm a-a King, where is my power?
Can I... can I form a Government? Can I... can I levy a tax, declare a... a war? No!
And yet I'm the seat of all authority. Why?
Because the Nation believes that when I sp... I speak, I speak for them.
Yet, but I can't speak!
Let's take it all again from the top. In this grave hour...
In this grave hour fuck fuck fuck
perhaps the most fateful in our history bugger shit shit
I send to every household of my...
You see "P" is always difficult, even, even when I'm singing.
- Bounce onto it: "a-peoples" - "a-people".
a-people household of my... a-peoples both at home and overseas...
Beautiful.
this message, doo-dah, spoken with the same depth of feeling, doo-dah-day,
for each one of you as if I were able to shit fuck bugger
cross your threshold and speak to you...
In your head, now: I have a right to be bloody well heard!
Bloody well heard, bloody well heard, bloody well heard, bloody well heard, bloody well heard myself!
Now Waltz. Move! Get continuous movement.
For the second time in the lives of most of us we are at...
- we are... Take a pause. - Lionel, I can't do this.
Bertie, you can do it.
- Have a look at the last paragraph. - Bertie, it's time.
- Archbishop. - Your Majesty.
A great moment, Sir.
- Prime Minister. - Your Majesty.
Nice to see you... again, so soon.
Good of you to be here, I'm sure you have a... a rather busy day.
We hope we have no more interruptions from those damned sirens, Sir.
Or the wretched dogs.
- Congra... congratulations, First Lord of the Admiralty. - Your Majesty.
The long... walk.
Good luck, Sir.
I too dread this apparatus. Had a speech impediment myself, you know.
- I didn't. - Family secret. Tongue-tied.
An operation was considered to be too dangerous.
I eventually made an asset of it.
- Thank you, Mr. Churchill. - Sir!
Darling.
- How long, Logue? - Just under three minutes, Sir.
- Mr. Wood. - Good luck, Your Majesty.
Mr. Wood.
- You redecorated, Logue. - I made it cosy.
Some fresh air.
There you are, Darling.
I'm thistle sifter. I've a sieve of sifted thistles and a sieve on unsifted thistles...
a sieve of sifted thistles and a sieve on unsifted thistles, because I'm...
Bertie, darling, make sure it's not switched on!
Remember the red light will blink four times and then I've asked them to turn it off,
because we don't want that evil eye staring at you all the way through.
One minute, sir.
I am sure you'll be splendid.
Fourty seconds, Sir.
Logue...
however this turns out,
I don't know how to thank you for what you've done.
Knighthood?
Twenty seconds...
Forget everything else and just say it to me.
Say it to me, as a friend.
In this grave hour,
perhaps the most fateful in our history,
I send to every household of my...
a-peoples,
both at home
and overseas
this message
spoken with the same depth of feeling
for each one of you
as if I were able to cross your threshold
and speak to you myself.
For the second time in the lives of most of us
we are at... at war.
Over and over again
we have tried to find
a peaceful way out of the differences between ourselves
and those who are now our enemies.
But it has been in vain.
We have been forced into a conflict.
For we are called to meet the challenge of a principle
which, if it were to prevail,
would be fatal to any civilized order
in the world.
Such a principle,
stripped of all disguise,
is surely the mere
primitive doctrine that might...
is right.
For the sake of all that we ourselves hold dear,
it is unthinkable that we should refuse to meet the challenge.
It is to this high purpose that I now call
my people at home and my peoples across the seas,
who will make our cause their own.
I ask them to stand calm and firm,
and united in this time of trial.
The task will be hard.
There may be dark days ahead,
and war can no longer be confined to the battlefield.
But we can only do the right as we see the right,
and reverently commit our cause to God.
If one and all we keep resolutely faithful to it,
then, with God's help,
we shall prevail.
That's very good, Bertie.
You still stammered on the "W".
Well, I had to throw in a few so they knew it was me.
Congratulations, your Majesty. A true broadcaster.
Thank you, Mr. Wood.
Congratulations, your Majesty.
Sir.
- Congratulations, your Majesty. - Thank you.
Ready.
- Good? - Perfect, Sir.
Your first war time speech. Congratulations.
Expect I shall have to do a great deal more.
Thank you, Logue.
Well done... my friend.
Thank you... Your Majesty.
I knew you'd be good.
Thank you... Lionel.
Onwards...
- Congratulations, Sir. - Well done, Sir.
Couldn't have said it better myself, Sir.
Your Majesty, I am speechless.
Congratulations, Sir.
Gentlemen.
Congratulations, your Majesty.
So how was Papa, Elizabeth?
Halting at first, but you got much better Papa!
Bless you!
And how about you, Margaret?
- You were just splendid, Papa! - Of course I was.
We all ready?
Come on girls.