The last time a British Monarch addressed the US Congress was Queen Elizabeth II in 1991. It was two years before I moved to the US excited to begin a new life in sunny California. A great deal has happened since then.

I am not a massive fan of the monarchy. After Diana’s death, the rift the Firm between Meghan and Harry, and the book Spare, like toothpaste once out the tube you can never get it back in again, the Duke of Edinburgh’s inappropriate gaffs, Princess Margaret’s drinking, Mike Tyndell’s (Princess Anne’s son in law) indiscretions and the former Prince Andrew Mountbatten I tend to see them like everyone else, a normal family with their struggles and difficulties just with more money.

However when I watched our King; Charles III deliver his speech address to the US Congress I was filled with fervent emotion and hope for change. He showed himself to be steadfast in his beliefs not always shared but courageous and unyielding all the same. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the aftermath of his visit and what kind of impact and difference his implied (but not really) deference often described as “soft power” can make. I think his popularity in the UK will have skyrocketed after his monumental address. Kind considered compassionate and yet resolute and unrelenting in standard and character. He talked about words being powerful but action being more powerful. A very soft and gentle slap in the face as the Politico article attached below suggests.

There are still a lot of people in the US who didn’t want to hear his references to unheard victims, climate change and defending the good people of Ukraine but he spoke boldly with enough brilliant and well timed gags to soften the pain for the truths he so eloquently and authoritatively delivered. All whilst quoting historical references and the words of former US leaders and statesmen George Washington, words from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address and Theodore Roosevelt to emphasise these are “not my words but yours”. I saw someone ask “who’s his speech writer, alleging they were the cleverly chosen words of a ghost writer. No, Charles penned the speech in the most part himself. Definitely his words, his thoughts, spoken from the heart in very precarious and uncertain times.

It made me think about the other King’s Speech. The fabulous movie starring Colin Firth as Charles’ grandfather, George VI, Geoffrey Rush as speech therapist Lionel Logue and Helena Bonham Carter as Elizabeth Beau Lyons, the late Queen Mother.

I’ve seen the film a few times and whilst history in school kept me up to date with the lineage and timeline I didn’t know the story of the late king George VI and his confidence issues. The King's Speech is a 2010 historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Colin Firth plays the future King George VI as he struggles with a stammer that affects his ability to address the nation and undermines his ability to lead.

With the help of a forthright and unqualified speech therapist in Logue played superbly by one of my favourite actors Geoffrey Rush, (I would also recommend Shine 1996 for which he won the academy award for best actor, Quills where he takes on The role of the Crazy Marques De Sade and The Best Offer a complex heist that keeps you guessing all the way to the end) he overcomes the impediment making himself sufficiently worthy in his mind to lead his country through the perils of World War II.

I have not watched for a while so like a great book I am unable to recall details just feelings experienced but I can tell you with confidence the feelings percolated from watching our King’s Speech in congress took me straight back to wishing to revisit this film.

I remember one scene where George (Firth) and Elizabeth (Bonham Carter) visit Lionel and his wife Myrtle under the pseudonym Bertie at their home.

The Context of the meeting following the abdication of his brother, Edward, Bertie has become King and is feeling overwhelmed. He visits Lionel to apologize for their previous argument and to seek his help, having realized that he needs Logue's support to fulfill his new role. Lionel, who was not expecting them, tries to hide his surprise. When his wife, Myrtle, arrives home, she is obviously shocked to find the Queen of England having tea in her dining room. The scene creates the contrast between the King and Queen and these ordinary people in their modest home they must grow to trust.

Myrtle, initially unaware that her husband has been treating the Duke of York (now King). When she realizes that the "client" Lionel has been calling "Bertie" is actually King George VI, she is of course completely flabbergasted.

The drama and touching comedy is in the social interaction. Myrtle struggles to act naturally, but the Queen is charming and immediately puts her at ease. “Ma'am" as in Ham is a laugh out loud line/ moment when Myrtle is confused about etiquette. Queen Elizabeth gently coaches her, stating that while they have met, it is "Your Majesty" the first time and "Ma'am" (pronounced like "ham") thereafter, not "Ma'am" as in "palm".

This first visit in the Logues home solidifies the personal friendship between the two couples, moving beyond the strict confines of a doctor-patient relationship, which allows Logue to continue helping Bertie under the trust and total equality he demanded at the beginning.

It’s a magical and memorable scene in the film.

What this film does is what King Charles managed to do for himself and both the UK and the USA. It strips away protocol and highlights human qualities that supersede money, status and power. It shows how tender unforgettable moments arise when we are brave enough to stand unfettered by persona or privilege and dare to just be ourselves.

I think King Charles will have won over the nation with one truly brave and memorable speech, I wonder how as a man in his seventies he felt before going on not just to speak to US Congress but to the whole world and if he had a stiff drink before or after. I believe watching this film Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue will win you over too.