Plot

The story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.

Britain's Prince Albert must ascend the throne as King George VI, but he has a speech impediment. Knowing that the country needs her husband to be able to communicate effectively, Elizabeth hires Lionel Logue, an Australian actor and speech therapist, to help him overcome his stammer. An extraordinary friendship develops between the two men, as Logue uses unconventional means to teach the monarch how to speak with confidence.—Jwelch5742

Tasked with serving as the voice of freedom and leading a nation into conflict with Adolf Hitler's Nazis, the future King of the United Kingdom, King George VI, must first address a chronic, debilitating condition. As Prince Albert of York struggles to overcome his stammering problem to no avail, his wife, the worried Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, seeks help from unconventional London speech therapist Lional Logue. But to deal with the terrible speech impediment, Prince Albert must persevere through fear and humiliation to take on the burden of the monarchy. And with courage, determination, and unexpected friendship, the nation will eventually have a leader.—Nick Riganas

The true story of the journey of King George VI to the throne and his reign as he develops a friendship with a therapist who helps him overcome his speech impairment to help him in life and all of his duties in the British Monarch while he is king.—RECB3

Biopic about Britain's King George VI (father of present day Queen Elizabeth II) and his lifelong struggle to overcome his speech impediment. Suffering from a stammer from the age of four or five, the young Prince Albert dreaded any public speaking engagement. History records that his speech at the closing of the 1925 Commonwealth exhibition in London was difficult for both him and everyone listening that day. He tried many different therapies over many years, but it was only when he met Lionel Logue, a speech therapist, that he truly began to make progress. Logue did not have a medical degree, but had worked as an elocution coach in the theater and had worked with shell-shocked soldiers after World War I. Through a variety of techniques and much hard work, Albert learns to speak in such a way so as to make his impediment a minor problem and deliver a flawless speech heard around the world by radio when the U.K. declared war on Nazi Germany in 1939. The King and Logue remained life-long friends.—garykmcd

Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI), "Bertie" (Colin Firth), the 2nd son of King George V, speaking at the close of the 1925 British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium, with his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) by his side. His stammering speech unsettles the thousands of listeners in the audience.

The prince tries several unsuccessful treatments and gives up, until the Duchess persuades him to see Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian born, non-medically trained Harley Street speech defects therapist. In their first session, Logue requests that they address each other by their Christian names, a breach of royal etiquette. Logue is unorthodox in his approach & Albert is not convinced it will be of any help. Bertie believes the first session is not going well, but Lionel has him recite Hamlet's "To be, or not to be" soliloquy while listening to classical music over a pair of headphones. Bertie is frustrated but Lionel gives him the acetate recording that he has made of the reading as a souvenir. Lionel did this so Bertie could not hear himself talking.

After Bertie's father, King George V, broadcasts his 1934 Royal Christmas Message, he explains to Bertie that the wireless will play a significant part in the role of the royal family, allowing them to enter the homes of the people, and that Bertie's brother's neglect of his responsibilities makes training in it necessary.

In 1934, King George V (Michael Gambon) declares Bertie's older brother unfit for the throne & demands Bertie to improve his speech. The attempt at reading the message himself is a failure, but Bertie plays the recording Lionel gave him that night and is astonished at the lack of stutter. He returns for daily treatments to overcome the physical and psychological roots of his stutter.

The Prince reveals some of the pressures of his childhood: his strict father, the repression of his natural left-handedness, a painful treatment with metal splints for his knock-knees, a nanny who favored his elder brother-David, the Prince of Wales--deliberately pinching Bertie at the daily presentations to their parents so he would cry and his parents would not want to see him, and--unbelievably--not feeding him adequately ("It took my parents three years to notice," says Bertie) and the early death in 1919 of his little brother Prince John. Logue & Bertie become friends.

On 20 January 1936 George V dies, and David, the Prince of Wales (Guy Pearce) accedes to the throne as King Edward VIII, & wants to marry Wallis Simpson (Eve Best), an American divorcee, which would provoke a constitutional crisis. Edward, as the supreme governor of the Church of England, cannot marry her, even if her second divorce occurs, since both her previous husbands are alive.

Bertie confronts David, who only accuses Bertie of having designs of his own & makes fun of his speech impediment. At an unscheduled session, Bertie expresses frustration that, while his speech has mostly improved, he still stammers when talking to David, simultaneously revealing the extent of Edward VIII's folly with Simpson. When Lionel insists that Bertie himself could make a good king, Bertie accuses Lionel of treason and angrily quits Lionel.

When King Edward VIII does in fact abdicate to marry, Bertie becomes King George VI. Bertie, urged by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, ascends the throne as King George VI. Feeling overwhelmed by his accession, the new King realizes that he needs Logue's help and he and the Queen visit the Logues' residence to apologize, much to the surprise of Mrs. Logue (Jennifer Ehle) when she learns who Lionel's client has been.

Bertie and Lionel's relationship is questioned by the King's advisers during preparations for his coronation in Westminster Abbey. When the King insists that Logue be seated in the King's box during his coronation in Westminster Abbey, Dr Cosmo Gordon Lang, the Archbishop of Canterbury (Derek Jacobi), questions Logue's qualifications. Lang points out that George never sought advice from his advisers about his treatment and that Lionel lacks formal training.

Lionel explains to an outraged Bertie that at the time he started with speech defects there were no formal qualifications and that the only known help that was available for returning Great War shell-shocked Australian soldiers was from personal experience. Bertie remains unconvinced until provoked to protest at Lionel's disrespect for King Edward's Chair (upon which Lionel sits without permission) and the Stone of Scone (also known as the Stone of Destiny, is a block of sandstone used in the coronations of Scottish, English, and British monarchs. It's a symbol of Scotland's monarchy and a symbol of ancient tradition and royal authority). After realizing he has just expressed himself without impairment, Bertie is able to rehearse with Lionel and complete the ceremony.

As king, Bertie has a crisis when he must broadcast to Britain and the Empire following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany in 1939. George VI summons Logue to Buckingham Palace to prepare for his radio speech to the country. Knowing the challenge that lies before him, Lang, Winston Churchill, and Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain accompany for support. As the King and Logue move through the palace to a tiny studio, Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall) reveals to the King that he, too, had once had a speech impediment but had found a way to use it to his advantage.

The King delivers his speech as if to Logue, who coaches him through every moment. Logue mentions that Bertie still struggles enunciating w, to which Bertie replies, "I had to throw in a few so they'd know it was me." As Logue watches, the King steps onto the balcony of the palace with his family, where thousands of Londoners, gathered to hear the speech over loudspeakers, cheer and applaud him.

A final title card explains that, during the many speeches King George VI gave during World War II, Logue was always present. It is also explained that "King George VI made Lionel Logue a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1944. This high honor from a grateful King made Lionel part of the only order of chivalry that specifically rewards acts of personal service to the Monarch." They remained friends until the King's death from lung cancer in 1952.