Opinion

When King Edward VIII abdicated the British throne and his brother, Albert, took over as King George VI in 1937, it dawned on the new King and his wife, Princess Elizabeth Lyon, that his stammer would impede his role as a King, a position that will require him to communicate directly with his subjects whenever the need arises. She sought for him the services of Leonel Logue, whose lessons immensely improved the speech condition of the initially reluctant student. The need arose two years later in 1939 when Britain joined World War II under Winston Churchill (another stammarer) and the King needed to speak to the public. His therapy was handy because he was able to deliver his proclamation speech without the impossible hindrances of before. The British public was happy to listen to their...