King George Vi: the Real Kings Speech

Kimberly Wooten Professor Kathy Kile Speech 1010 November 6, 2012 The Real King’s Speech One man in history who gave a speech when the public’s faith was at an all-time low was King George VI. He had to step up and take the spot as king when it was not what he originally thought would happen. He suffered through hardship and troubles through his rein which some affected the way he was able to talk to his people. The speech he gave was not just given to a small audience but to his entire country. King George VI’s life was very interesting life which gave him the opportunity to give a very famous speech that affected the entire world.

King George was born on December 14, 1895 in Norfolk, England. His full name is Albert Frederick Arthur Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. King George VI was often called Bertie or Albert by his family. He was the second son of King George V and the Duchess of York, Victoria May. King George VI did not have an easy childhood because of his mother’s lack of affection and his father’s criticism. He developed a stammer at age 8 and also had to wear leg braces because of his knocked knees when he was young. He was a very shy and easily frighten child which also affected the rest of his life.

He graduated from the Royal Naval Academy and went on to be a midshipman in the Royal Navy. After fighting in WWI he joined the Royal air force and became a pilot. He then went on to Trinity College but only stayed for one year because he then needed to fulfill his duties as the Duke of York. In 1923 he went on to marry Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, which had been a family friend since they were young. They had two children, Elizabeth, the oldest, and Margaret, the youngest. They were a close and happy family. His wife saw that he needed help with his stammer and found a great Australian therapist for him to see, Lionel Logue.

After being with him and doing his exercises the king began to speak without a stammer. He was not supposed to be the one taking the throne after his father passed away, but it was supposed to be his brother. His brother wanted to marry his mistress and could not marry her if he took the throne so Albert took the throne. This was not the plan he wanted but he was crowned the king of the United Kingdoms and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth in 1937. King George VI was a supporter of the British Prime Minister who signed an agreement with Hitler, which was hoped to make sure there was no war with the Nazi Germany.

Hitler then ignored the agreement and took aggressive action that made King George travel and make friends with the President at the time which was Franklin D. Roosevelt. On September 1939 Germany violated the agreement that was made with the Prime Minister and a war was declared. King George made a successful speech that declared the war in 1939. He announced the role that Britain would play in the act of war. After the war started, he and his wife stayed in London at the Buckingham Palace even though the Germans were bombing (George). The government tried to relocate them to Canada.

Queen Elizabeth had stated “I’m glad we’ve been bombed, now we can look the East End in the face. ” (Farndale). King George and Queen Elizabeth went around to the cities that were bombed, visiting the troops and the survivors of the bombs. After the victory of the war the stress caught up with him and he had an arterial blockage which made Princess Elizabeth take on her royal duties. He was then diagnosed with lung cancer and had his left lung removed then he found out he also had arteriosclerosis. King George VI died on February 6, 1952 when he was 56 years old. His daughter then became Queen Elizabeth II.

King George VI faced many problems in his life and one that made a very large impact on people was the speech he had to make declaring was with Germany (George). The King had to give a devastating speech on September 3, 1939. Hitler had gone against an agreement that was made and Germany invaded Poland. After this, it was time to declare war. He had a hard time with his stammer throughout his life so his therapist helped him with it so he could complete this speech. His therapist was the only one in the room with the King while he gave his speech that was broadcasted live on the radio.

The picture that shows him sitting at a desk giving the speech was actually staged and he really gave his speech in an anteroom standing (Farndale). His speech sounded great although there are many pauses he had to take to prevent him from stammering. Other than the pauses, he completed a great speech and spoke clear and with confidence. He was delivering a devastating speech and the devastation is able to be heard in his voice. While there is much devastation, he still helps give hope as he is giving his speech. The speech’s effect much more than just his country, it also affected the entire world(Crrisstobal).

The speech had affected all of Great Britain and it also affected the rest of the world. He was declaring war, which meant that his allies had to be with him in this time of devastation. The king told his people to embrace for hard times to come, for his country was at war. The speech gave his people a reason to come together and unite in this time of war. It also inspired them because it showed that they now have a leader they can look upon. The speech had a great effect on the rest of the world as well. As they went into war, the allies of Britain also had to help.

As he completed this speech it showed he was a great leader to look upon but it also gave much terror to many people as he said they were going into war. All in all, King George VI went through hard times all his life. From when he was a young stammering boy with an unloving family, to a king leading his people through WWII. Although he gave many speeches being a king, the speech that had the most effect was the one he gave declaring war. He had no stammer and went through it great and ended strong. King George VI was a wonderful leader and did a great job delivering the real king’s speech.

Works Cited Crrisstobal. “The Real – King George VI – September 3, 1939. ” YouTube. YouTube, 05 Feb. 2011. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. “Enchanted Serenity of Period Films: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth – a Peek into the past. ” Enchanted Serenity of Period Films: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth – a Peek into the past. N. p. , 16 Jan. 2010. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. Farndale, Nigel. “: The Real Story. ” Telegraph. co. uk. N. p. , 5 Jan. 2011. Web. “George VI Biography. ” Bio. com. A&E Networks Television, 20`1. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. .