Colin Firth Wins a Golden Globe for The King's Speech

There are many stories about royal life to be had--some of them of battlefields, some of love and romance, some of debauchery. But Berty's struggles (his name was Albert) and the help he receives from speech therapist Lionel Logue are very moving.

The movie is based on recently discovered diaries by Lionel Logue, the man who helped him learn to speak in public. A lifelong stammerer, the future king is brought to frustration when he must step into the role for which he was not prepared--being King of England--when his older brother, Edward (David) forsakes the throne for his true love (American, divorced, non-royal Wallis Simpson).

King Edward VIII's story is often told, but George VI's is not. He is the leader who rallied his people through World War II, and his wife, the Queen and later Queen Mother, was a beloved figure for decades. Berty couldn't have done it if he were speechless, and Logue helped him gain that back.

The book is a good read, too.