The King's Speech

In May 1940, a rapt population in Britain will listen to a radio broadcast from the King to commemorate Empire Day. Neville Chamberlain has been replaced as Prime Minister by Winston Churchill. The Nazis have invaded Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, and they are rapidly spreading across France. Logue is called to the Palace where he finds the King in high spirits, though his “hair was a little greyer on the side of the temples” (176). They prepare for the Empire Day speech. Just before the King begins, Logue squeezes his arm for good luck. It is a remarkable gesture, as “no one was meant to touch a king unbidden in such a way” (177). Logue listens, marveling at the King’s voice. After finishing, the King is proud of himself, as is his family and staff.

The war continues. The fall of Belgium results in the evacuation of the British army on a giant flotilla, taking the troops from Dunkirk. Churchill delivers his own speech, vowing to “fight on the beaches” (179). Laurie Logue is conscripted into the army; Myrtle cries. Next, Paris falls to the Germans. The bombing of London begins in earnest; even Buckingham Palace is hit.