The King's Speech

The Magistra and I saw The King's Speech this weekend. It was a really amazing film. After we saw the movie, we looked up some of King George VI's speeches. Colin Firth accurately imitated the King's speech and mannerisms, as you can hear and see respectively from the video embedded below and the link to the Empire Exhibition in 1938.

King George VI opens the Empire Exhibition.

We have become intensely curious about both George VI and his older brother, Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne to marry a divorcée. Edward seems to have been a rather feckless and irresolute man. It seems that history could have been different if Edward had been King during WWII instead of George. Particularly since he has long been rumored to have been a bit soft on the Nazis. One could see the hand of providence in Edward's attachment to Wallis Simpson.