A Drama by Royce Ryton
This year sees the 75th anniversary of the 1936 abdication crisis which brought the diffident and stuttering King George VI to the throne, an event depicted in the recent highly successful film, The King’s Speech. It is this crisis which is at the heart of Royce Ryton’s play, showing us the volatile relationship between Queen Mary and her son King Edward VIII caused by his love affair with a divorced woman, Wallis Simpson. The author shows us the King’s conviction that without Mrs. Simpson he could not do his job, and his readiness to sacrifice his throne and his family, espe-cially his stammering younger brother, who must succeed him.
