When God couldn't save the king, the queen turned to someone who could.
Based on the recently discovered diaries of Lionel Logue, The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy recounts an inspiring real-life tale of triumph over adversity, when an Australian taught a British king with a crippling speech defect how to speak to his subjects.
At the urging of his wife, Elizabeth, the Duke of York (known to the royal family as "Bertie") began to see speech therapist Lionel Logue in a desperate bid to cure his lifelong stammer. Little did the two men know that this unlikely friendship--between a future monarch and a commoner born in Australia--would ultimately save the House of Windsor from collapse. Through intense locution and breathing lessons, the amiable Logue gave the shy young Duke the skills and the confidence to stand and deliver before a crowd. And when his elder brother, Edward VIII, abdicated the throne to marry for love, Bertie was able to assume the reins of power as King George VI--just in time to help steer the nation through the dark waters of the Second World War.
About the Author
Mark Logue is the grandson of Lionel Logue. He is a filmmaker and the custodian of the Logue Archive. He lives in London. Peter Conradi is an author and journalist. He works for the Sunday Times and his last book was Hitler's Piano Player: The Rise and Fall of Ernst Hanfstaengl.
