The Duke of York later known as King George VI, was the youngest son of King George V.
Early in his childhood he faced constant scrutiny and pressure. Bertie (his nickname amongst his family members) was naturally left-handed however, he was forced to write with his right (Bio). Faced with constant pressure from his father, Bertie began to show signs of his stutter when he was eight years old.
The first Step
When The Duke of York stepped onto the podium to make his speech addressing the Empire Exhibition in 1925 at Wimbledon, his heart was pounding. In front of him were thousands upon thousands of spectators and other important dignitaries all staring at him. This would’ve petrified me. As he began it was nice and calm, but then it happened. He stuttered. The crowd grew silent and all the eyes that were looking up at their future king, dwindled to the ground at their feet. Elizabeth was determined to help her husband through his stammer by enlisting the help of Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist who lived in London at the time (Bio).
The first few times Bertie went to see Lionel he wasn’t fully convinced it would help him, but as Bertie continued to see Lionel his speech began to improve and his confidence began to soar. As a result both men forged a strong friendship.
A New King
Bertie became King of England on May 12, 1937 because his older brother decided to give up the throne in order to marry the controversial Wallis Simpson.
End of WWII
After the war ended and both Churchill and King George VI celebrated their victory, the two of them became friends and supported each other with their speech impediments. Sadly Bertie became very stressed, ill, and saddened by the toll of the second war which caused him to smoke heavily (Bio). King George VI died on February 6, 1952, from coronary thrombosis he was only 56 (Bio).
Although his life ended shortly his legacy and the inspiration he left helped make The Kings Speech, which was one of the most inspirational and impactful films that we as a generation will ever see.
George VI. (2014). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 06:27, Mar 24, 2014, from http://www.biography.com/people/george-vi-9308937.