The King's Speech · written by David Seidler · 2010

Newsreel footage shows George V’s funeral as the royal family and the Logues watch from the crowd.

Scene 42 of 100 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act two

Lionel
Myrtle
Pathe Newsreel Announcer

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 46 min into a 1:31 film

The story so farBefore scene 42

Prince Albert seeks to overcome a lifelong stammer so he can serve his country, but his fear of public failure and the royal hierarchy obstruct his work with an unconventional speech therapist.

Scenes 1–11
Bertie lives within royal ceremony but cannot speak publicly and remains constrained by family roles.
Scenes 12–24
Elizabeth seeks a different treatment because Bertie must speak and conventional medicine has failed.
Scenes 25–30
Bertie enters Logue’s unfamiliar, egalitarian practice and finally commits to its daily work.
Just before
Scene 39
Logue and his sons perform their Shakespeare guessing game before Bertie arrives.
Scene 40
Bertie asks Logue to resume their sessions and shares a drink in memory of their fathers.
Scene 41
While building a model airplane, Bertie recounts family cruelties, his childhood stammer, and his closeness with David.
Scene 42
This scene

42EXT. WHITEHALL - DAY

David, very solemn, Bertie - pale and fragile, their brothers Henry and George all salute as they pass the Cenotaph.

The crowd is silent.

Lionel, Myrtle, and all three boys are part of the crowd, half a dozen rows back. Antony and Valentine have mirrors on sticks to see over the heads.

LIONEL

(whispers a running commentary to the boys)

That’s the Prince of Wales. He’s

now King because he’s the oldest.

Lionel spots...

Bertie, in the procession passing by.

Lionel stares at him. Tries to make eye contact. In the midst of this pomp and ceremony the immense potential importance of his client sinks in. Of course, Bertie doesn’t see him.

LIONEL (CONT’D)

Quite an irony...all this.

MYRTLE

Why’s that?

LIONEL

His children weren’t too fond of

him.

MYRTLE

Lionel! What a thing to say.

Where’d you pick that up?

LIONEL

Heard it...at work.

Lionel points, to distract.

LIONEL (CONT’D)

Think the German will make it?

Return to archive footage, a contorted limping German is seen. The procession of dignitaries continues.

PATHE NEWSREEL ANNOUNCER

....fifteen Kings of Europe and

eleven Princes of the Realm are

here...