I am not a fan of public speaking, and I can only imagine the anxiety of having to speak in front of a quarter of the world with a stammer. Unluckily for King George VI, or Bertie as he is sometimes called, he was placed in this exact situation. A line that stuck out to me in the movie “The King’s Speech” is when Bertie’s father, King George V, says something to the effect that all kings had to do, prior to the invention of the microphone and radio, is look nice and not fall off their horses. But with modern day innovation, the responsibility now fell on the king to provide a voice to and representative of his people.

To cope with the severity of his impediment, Bertie tries speech therapy with just about every accredited doctor in London. Nobody supplies him with the results he is looking for, and some even give what seems to be counterproductive advice like smoking cigarettes to calm the throat. It is not until the eventual king’s devoted and wonderful wife, Elizabeth, solicits the help of a speech therapist that the soon to be king begins making notable progress.

It is difficult to be vulnerable and admit weaknesses to others, which is why it was so refreshing to see the weaknesses of a prominent historical figure. I can’t help but think Bertie’s time of birth was destiny. It seems like fate forced the king to face his biggest fear, and seeing him muster up courage to give his speeches word by word was inspiring.