The film’s narrative is mostly centered on the monarch’s speech impediment, which he must learn to control after his brother abdicates the throne. As Daily History writes, his condition was potentially dangerous for the family’s reputation, as public morale could falter if a member of the royal family failed to speak clearly. However, the film diverges from reality in how seriously he was affected by his stutter by 1939. While he did employ speech therapist Lionel Logue to help him, “Bertie” (short for Albert; his full name was Albert Frederick Arthur George Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, according to Biography) was capable of giving a coherent speech by adulthood. 

The film’s account of Logue is accurate in regard to his teaching method, but his key to refining the King’s speech was not profanity or inciting anger as depicted, but instead relaxation (via Harley Street). Nor did the bulk of his instruction’s success take place in 1939, as in actuality Logue had helped then-Prince Albert largely overcome his stutter by the late 1920s (via Los Angeles Times). These differences serve to paint the king’s character in a very different light than what history reflects, underscoring his capacity for self-improvement in favor of cinematic effect.