The Crown quotes

King George VI: [waking up the day after the general election] Who won?

King George VI's Valet: Mr. Churchill, Your Majesty. By seventeen seats.

King George VI: Good for him! [after a beat] You didn't hear me say that.

King George VI: You understand, the titles, the dukedom. They're not the job.

Prince Philip: Sir?

King George VI: She is the job. She is the essence of your duty. Loving her. Protecting her. Of course, you'll miss your career. But doing this for her, doing this for me, there may be no greater act of patriotism. Or love.

Prince Philip: I understand, sir.

King George VI: Do you, boy? Do you really?

Prince Philip: Oh, like the hat.

Queen Elizabeth II: It's not a hat. It's a crown.

Anthony Eden: Much of this is just a function of age. He focuses almost entirely on issues relating to America and the Soviet Union, so important domestic matters are falling behind.

King George VI: What do you suggest I do?

Anthony Eden: Well, as sovereign, of course, there is nothing you can do from a constitutional standpoint. But, as a friend, as Albert Windsor, you are the one person I can think of to whom he might listen.

King George VI: Well, that is where we run into difficulties, I'm afraid. I no longer am Albert Windsor. That person was murdered by his elder brother when he abdicated. And, of course, Albert Windsor would dearly love to say to his old friend, Winston Churchill, "Take a step back. Put your feet up. Let the younger generation have a go now." But he is no longer with us and that void has been filled by George VI who, it turns out, is quite the stickler, and would no more allow the sovereign to interfere with the Prime Minister than stand for office himself.

Anthony Eden: Even when it's in the national interest, sir?

King George VI: The national interests? Or Anthony Eden's interest?

Martin Charteris: It would help if we could decide here and now on your name.

Queen Elizabeth II: My name?

Martin Charteris: Yes, ma'am. Your regnal name. That is the name you'll take as queen. Your father took George. Obviously, his name is ... was Albert. Before he abdicated, your uncle took Edward. Of course, his name was David.

Queen Elizabeth II: What's wrong with my name?

Prince Philip: Nothing.

Queen Elizabeth II: Well, then let's not overcomplicate matters unnecessarily. My name is Elizabeth.

Martin Charteris: Then, long live Queen Elizabeth.

Queen Mary: Dearest Lilibet, I know how you loved your papa, my son. And I know you will be as devastated as I am by this loss. But you must put those sentiments to one side now, for duty calls. The grief for your father's death will be felt far and wide. Your people will need your strength and leadership. I have seen three great monarchies brought down through their failure to separate personal indulgences from duty. You must not allow yourself to make similar mistakes. And while you mourn your father, you must also mourn someone else. Elizabeth Mountbatten. For she has now been replaced by another person, Elizabeth Regina. The two Elizabeths will frequently be in conflict with one another. The fact is, the crown must win. Must always win.

Winston Churchill: When the death of the King was announced to us yesterday morning, there struck a deep and somber note in our lives, which resounded far and wide, stilled the clatter and traffic of 20th century life, and made countless millions of human beings around the world pause and look around them. The King was greatly loved by all his peoples. The greatest shocks ever felt by this island fell upon us in his reign. Never, in our long history were we exposed to greater perils of invasion and destruction. The late King, who assumed the heavy burden of the Crown when he succeeded his brother, lived through every minute of this struggle with a heart that never quavered and a spirit undaunted. In the end, death came as a friend. And after a happy day of sunshine and sport, and after a goodnight to those who loved him best, he fell asleep, as every man or woman who strives to fear God and nothing else in the world, may hope to do. Now, I must leave the treasures of the past and turn to the future. Famous have been the reigns of our queens. Some of the greatest periods in our history have unfolded under their scepters. Queen Elizabeth II, like her namesake, Queen Elizabeth I, did not pass her childhood in any certain expectation of the Crown. This new Elizabethan age comes at a time when mankind stands uncertainly poised on the edge of catastrophe. I, whose youth was passed in the august, unchallenged and tranquil glories of the Victorian era, may well fill the thrill in invoking once more the prayer and anthem, God Save the Queen.

Prince Edward: There are things I wish to say.

Queen Mary: In which capacity? You're no longer their king.

Prince Edward: As a private individual.

Queen Mary: Oh, no one wants to hear from a private individual.

Prince Edward: Well, I beg to differ. The newspapers are for me.

BBC Radio Announcer: This is Windsor Castle. There follows an important announcement from His Royal Highness, the Duke of Windsor.

Prince Edward: A few hours ago, I discharged my last duty as King and Emperor. And, now that I have been succeeded by my brother, the Duke of York, my first words must be to declare my allegiance to him. This I do with all my heart. You all know the reasons which have impelled me to renounce the throne. I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility, and to discharge my duties as King, as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the woman I love. This decision has been made less difficult to me by the sure knowledge that my brother has one matchless blessing enjoyed by so many of you and not bestowed on me, a happy home with his wife and children. And now we all have a new King. I wish him, and you, his people, happiness and prosperity with all my heart. God bless you all. God save the King.

Winston Churchill: I so looked forward every Tuesday to my audiences with your, dear papa. His late Majesty was a hero to me and to all his people.

Queen Elizabeth II: Thank you. Do sit down, Prime Minister. I've ordered tea. Or something stronger, perhaps.

Winston Churchill: Oh, dear. Did no one explain? The Sovereign never offers a Prime Minister refreshment. Nor a chair. The precedent set by your great-great-grandmother was to keep us standing like Privy Councillors. To waste time is a grievous sin. And, if there is one thing I have learned in fifty-two years of public service, it is that there is no problem so complex, nor crisis so grave, that it cannot be satisfactorily resolved within twenty minutes. So, shall we make a start?

Prince Edward: The agreement between Bertie and me was that I would give up everything and go into exile and keep a low profile in return for a pension that was clearly meant to be for the term of my whole life, not his. Now he's barely cold, and Cookie turns off the bloody tap. How dare she.

Queen Mary: You don't know that it was her.

Prince Edward: Of course it was her.

Queen Mary: And don't call her that.

Prince Edward: Why not? She's fat, common, and looks like a cook.

Winston Churchill: Ma'am, word has reached me that it is your desire that you and your children should keep your husband's name, Mountbatten.

Queen Elizabeth II: It is.

Winston Churchill: Ma'am, you must not. It would be a grave mistake. Mountbatten was the adoptive name your husband took when he became a British citizen. His real name, you'll not need reminding, was Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderberg-Glucksberg of the Royal Houses of Denmark and Norway and, latterly, of Greece! I am an old man. Many have questioned my relevance, whether I still have anything to offer in public life. The answer is, I have. Which is to leave in place a Sovereign prepared for office. Which is to leave in place a Sovereign prepared for office. Equipped, armed for her duty. Great things have happened to this country under the sceptres of her queens and you should be no exception.

Queen Elizabeth II: Yes, I am Queen, but I am also a woman. And a wife. To a man whose pride and whose strength were, in part, what attracted me to him. I want to be in a successful marriage. I would argue, stability under this roof might even be in the national interest. Had you considered that?

Winston Churchill: Very well. I will discuss it with Cabinet.

Queen Elizabeth II: No. You will inform the Cabinet, Prime Minister. That is the favour you will do me, in return for one I'm already doing you. I know your party wants you to resign to make way for a younger man. Mr. Eden. I also know that no one will bring up your resignation while you are actively engaged in planning the Coronation. So, by delaying my investiture, you are, in fact, holding onto power. In which case, I would suggest you are, somewhat, in my debt.

Prince Philip: What kind of marriage is this? What kind of family? You've taken my career from me, you've taken my home. You've taken my name. I thought we were in this together.

Peter Townsend: You sure about this, sir?

Prince Philip: When I got married, my in-laws made me marshal of the Royal Air Force. As a result, I'm the most senior airman in the country, and I can't bloody well fly.

Clement Attlee: What I don't understand is this. Why a Downing Street employee, working for the government, should come to me with this information? I've read the Aeneid, Mr. Thurman. "Do not trust the horse, Trojans. I fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts."

Thurman: Mr. Attlee, I entered the civil service to serve the public and to serve government, any government. But I am also a responsible citizen and I cannot stand by while chaos reigns around me. This is not a government. Mr. Attlee, this is a collection of hesitant, frightened, old men unable to unseat a tyrannical, delusional even older one. Yours was the most radical, forward-thinking government this country has ever seen. How you lost the election escapes me.

Clement Attlee: Escapes us all.