Good morning, your royal highness. It's 7:30.
Good morning, John.
Christ.
- Go on, man. Click it. - I can't, sir.
This needs to be seen by a professional.
Don't be so bloody wet.
It just needs a good, sharp...
It doesn't fill one with confidence.
He comes very highly recommended.
Treats everyone. Winston Churchill, Duncan sandys, lord astor.
I woke up, turned my head and there it was.
I must have cricked it during the course of the night.
It's possible.
Can you sit up, please, your royal highness?
People come to me with necks,
backs, elbows, knees.
Very often it's nothing to do with the symptoms.
The real cause is something else.
Such as?
Tension. Emotional strain.
Unresolved conflicts of one form or another.
There.
And how does one go about treating those?
Well, first by identifying them, recognizing them,
and then by treating not just the physical symptoms
but, well...
Changing one's whole lifestyle.
I used to have a fellow look after me in that department
who made sure there wasn't too much tension in my life.
Mike Parker?
Surely you don't know the old rascal, too?
I do.
Why didn't you say? What is your name again?
Ward, sir. Stephen ward.
He always talked about my getting you out for the weekend.
- Where? - A party or two.
I enjoy putting people together.
Matter of fact, it's gonna be rather a fun group this weekend.
If you were agreeable, we might even find time for a quick portrait.
As you can see, I...
I dabble.
Who's this?
Christine.
She'll be there. Mandy will, too.
Do you know, my neck's feeling better already.
That way!
Christine Keeler,
do you know this man?
Captain Eugene Ivanov.
Soviet naval attaché.
No comment.
Did you have relations with this man,
John profumo, minister of war?
No comment.
Miss Keeler, you were at this party hosted by Stephen ward.
Who's this man?
Miss Keeler?
Splendid day. Rather successful, I would say.
- Thank you for coming, John. - Prime minister.
- Shall we? - After you.
- Good trip down? - Rather an early start.
What was John profumo doing here?
I asked him to come and see me so we could have a frank conversation,
man to man.
I'll tell you what worries me, John.
It's that the many and significant achievements of this government
are being overshadowed
by scandal and rumor.
Damn.
Then I shall confirm for you what I told your private secretary,
and what I subsequently told the house.
I have nothing to hide, nothing to answer for.
I told him he should think carefully
about what he was saying, that we were friends...
- Shot. - He could speak in confidence.
There are fault lines in most marriages...
And I could admit to mine.
Come on, Harold.
I didn't come to you on bended knee six years ago,
begging to serve in your government, only to make a fool of you.
Do you believe him?
In the course of my life, I've learned to recognize the face of a liar.
Something in the features is drawn differently.
Something in the eyes.
What other option is there?
To distrust those close to me, those who profess to love me?
That would be too painful.
- And the photograph? - Which photograph?
At a party.
Hosted by one Stephen ward.
Society osteopath.
A call-girl and a Russian spy in the foreground.
- In the background... - A shadow.
A shadow with profumo's likeness.
If you say so.
I say there's reasonable doubt.
Credulous, trusting fool.
In my six years as prime minister,
I've had to face many grave and baffling difficulties.
This is one such occasion.
I would like to make it clear
that I believe John profumo is entitled not only to the support,
but also to the sympathetic understanding
and confidence of the house
and of the entire country.
- Thank you. - Who's the mystery man, sir?
What about Stephen ward, sir?
It was bad enough with just the music and shouting
at all hours of the day and night.
Yes, we”, Margaret's always been high-spirited.
But this building work is unbearable.
Unbearable.
And no sign of it ending.
- And now a new roof. - So I gather.
Banging and hammering and drilling,
sometimes even at the weekends.
And it's not just me that's suffering.
I know it's driven the gloucesters quite mad.
Everything irritates the gloucesters.
- Sir John Weir, your majesty. - Thank you.
Don't worry, aunt Marina.
As head of the famin, it's what I'm here for.
- I'll have a word with Margaret. - Thank you.
- Your majesty. - Sir John.
As you know, we took the samples yesterday.
We've had the results back.
I am delighted to confirm that you are expecting.
- Congratulations. - Thank you.
Now, it's wonderful news,
but I must temper it with caution.
Your iron levels are low, very low.
Not dangerous yet, but not far off.
- Hello. - Ma'am.
I hope you're sitting down.
Philip?
- His royal highness is away, ma'am. - Where?
At a house party, for the weekend.
The weekend? It's Wednesday.
He never mentioned anything.
It was all very last minute.
Yes, of course. Thank you.
Ma'am.
- Miss Keeler! - Who's the man, Christine?
- This way. - Mr. Ward!
Mr. Ward. What about Mr. Profumo?
Thanks for letting us know.
Yes, that would be great.
I've just heard that Stephen ward, sorry to interrupt,
has been interviewed by police and has confirmed everything.
Introducing profumo to the call girls, the Russian spy, everything.
Well, well, well.
I think we can confidently expect profumo's resignation any minute.
And the government to fall apart shortly thereafter.
You'll have to excuse me. I'd better get to work.
All right.
So, it's a yes to Paris?
- If you must. - I must.
Didn't you just get back from an assignment in New York?
I did.
And Tokyo before that?
You don't think some time at home would be good?
It would be if it were a home, but it's a building site.
Her royal highness has decided to embark
upon a major refurbishment of our apartment.
Only I thought I heard a happy rumor
that she might be expecting another baby.
You did. She is.
But in any marriage it's important
to find things that really bind you together,
as a couple.
And yours is?
Absence.
Hats off.
That's it.
Ma'am.
- This one, ma'am? - I hate that. Absolutely grotesque.
I don't...
Hello.
Thank you.
Yes, thank you very much.
Thank you.
- Your highness. - Your majesty.
- Goodness. - What?
The dining table in the same room as the kitchen?
Yes.
I'm not quite sure what to make of that.
It's modern.
It's egalitarian.
You're the least egalitarian person that I know.
Well, that's not the nicest way to congratulate me.
- That is why you're here? - Congratulate you for what?
Mummy didn't tell you?
- Are you? - Yes.
- That's lovely. - Thank you.
Due a few weeks after you.
That's wonderful.
But, no, that's...
Not why I'm here.
I'm here to ask that on your way to building
this great, bright, modern
egalitarian home for your growing family,
you might have a little more consideration for your neighbors.
In terms of what?
I'm assuming noise and general disruption.
I see.
And who sent you on this ugly little mission?
- Marina? - Yes.
She'd do well to remember her place.
As a low-ranking member of your husband's refugee famin,
she's lucky to be here at all.
I rest my case about egalitarian.
- And it's not only her. - Is it Alice?
That cantankerous old bat.
- And the kents and the gloucesters. - I see.
The whole nasty, jealous circus,
cooped up in this ridiculous compound,
furious because we got the largest apartment.
No one's furious about the apartment.
Incandescent
positively constipated with fury.
They're furious about the noise.
Because it represents rejuvenation,
modernization and change.
No, because it's inconsiderate,
selfish and deafening.
So, how is the baby so far?
It's uncomplicated, surprisingly.
How's yours?
Complicated.
They want me to take it easier this time.
May I politely suggest you do?
Tell Philip to take some of the strain.
- How is he? - Fine. Why?
Would you like to know a rumor Tony and I heard?
Now, it is just a rumor.
But you can't deny...
There is a similarity.
Look.
You see?
That's the minister of war. He's just admitted it.
Profumo admitted the affair, but he denied the photograph.
There is something of Philip in the...
The shoulders.
The prime minister has asked to see you, ma'am, as a matter of urgency.
It's the very worst kind of betrayal.
From somebody I never expected capable.
I'm sorry.
This dentist, Mr. Ward, clearly has a lot to answer for.
Osteopath, ma'am.
Well, he seems to have orchestrated it all.
He may have orchestrated it,
but read the newspapers, you'd think it's all my fault.
And for that reason, I think it's only right
that I offer you my resignation.
What?
The integrity of your government has been compromised.
As prime minister,
I must accept responsibility. I can't go on.
Yes, you can, Mr. MacMillan, and you must.
I would urge you to go back
and unite your cabinet and my government.
Take charge of this country.
Go back to downing street, prime minister,
and pick up the reins.
The people of this country need stability.
As do I, more than ever.
Ma'am?
The Duke of Edinburgh and I are expecting again.
Congratulations, ma'am.
The situation is not without its complications.
I will be taking a leave of absence for several months,
in Scotland.
The doctors have made it quite clear that they'd like me to rest...
Completely.
To safeguard the pregnancy.
Which is why I need you to hold the fort for the time being.
The queen mother can deputize for ceremonial matters
until the child is born.
Of course.
Thank you.
Thank you, prime minister.
It would mean a great deal to me,
personally.
It was wonderful.
If they weren't sending up toffs,
they were having a go at government corruption
or the hypocrisy of our bishops,
or having a dig at the British war effort.
At one point, they even turned on the queen.
- The queen? - It was really very funny.
We are also very much enthused
about our forthcoming trip to India and Pakistan.
Prince Philip tells me he is very much looking foward
to taking me up the khyber pass.
And then they came on to you.
What are you most afraid of?
"The arrival of the newspapers in the morning."
It's no use me trying to replicate it. I'll never do itjustice.
Was it cruel?
Not cruel, no.
Were people laughing?
Yes.
Did boothby laugh?
Who said anything about boothby?
I'm assuming it's who you were there with.
Did he laugh?
Yes.
Did you?
Yes.
You should go.
See what's happening to your bloody country.
That required him and his whole administration to resign.
I feel the time will come very soon
when the prime minister should make way for a younger...
John, have you packed the swimming shorts?
- Yes, sir, all packed. - Good man.
Hello.
How nice.
You're coming too?
Coming? No. I'm going.
Where?
Saint Moritz.
How mysterious.
You?
Balmoral.
Separate countries.
How apposite.
What does that mean?
Appropriate, suitable, fitting, apt.
I know what "apposite" means.
I mean, what are you trying to say?
Don't worry about that.
You just enjoy the mountains, dear.
Scumbag!
Are you a traitor, Mr. Ward?
We have come from the very depths of
lechery and depravity in this case.
Prostitution.
Promiscuity.
Perversion.
The trouble and strife.
The fork and knife.
Duchess of fife.
But they turtle-dove her.
Know what I mean?
What is this loose,
despicable world of Stephen ward and his associates?
To look at their behavior,
it seems the values we once held dear,
decency, respect, trust,
are a thing of the past.
In my position as prime minister of this great country,
I am frequently visited by many great men.
And often ask me about what I am most afraid.
My answer?
Events, dear boy, events.
Autumn.
The arrival of the newspapers in the morning.
Civilized society is no longer civilized.
The ruling class has given up on its responsibilities
and no longer sets the right example.
It has sunk instead to a shrunken version of itself
do my eyes deceive me?
Is that really who I think it is, staring back at me?
I've come to the theater tonight
because I've heard that some cheeky young satirists
are making a living doing impressions of me,
which is handy, because
I'm told I leave a terrible impression wherever I go.
To them I say, "shame on you. Shame on all of you."
Men like ward deserve none of our pity.
They are deserving only of our contempt.
The time has finally come
to cut out the moral rot at the heart of British society.
You will not convict the defendant
just because he was at the center of all this depravity,
but because he was the orchestrator of it.
Be in no doubt, he is a thoroughly filthy fellow.
It is therefore in the highest public interest
that you do your duty
and return a verdict of guilty
on this indictment.
Court adjourned until 9:00 am. Tomorrow.
And that's confirmed?
Understood.
Your majesty.
Yes, Michael.
Do sit down.
Thank you, ma'am.
Well...
We've made it perfectly clear to all that inquire
that you're taking an extended period of rest.
But sometimes people insist.
The British horse society, for example. They're still
struggling with the approval of their...
Charitable status.
And they thought your intervention might speed things up a bit.
Yes, just leave me the papennork, Michael.
And there are one or two urgent royal warrants that require your assent.
Yes. Is that it?
I'm afraid not, ma'am. One more thing.
It's a little delicate.
The man at the center of the profumo scandal.
Stephen ward?
Right.
He's taken his own life.
Goodness.
At his practice, his home,
the police found certain items, among them a portrait,
a hand-drawn portrait done by Mr. Ward himself of...
Of?
His royal highness the Duke of Edinburgh, ma'am.
What?
It seems they knew one another.
The police also have witnesses who saw his royal highness
arriving at ward's house on several occasions, ma'am.
And we were at a loss for how to link them,
but then it became clear
that they were both members
of that same lunch club, ma'am.
Now, there is some concern
as to whether there are any other portraits,
not to mention all the studies for the portrait,
and that they may fall into the wrong hands.
I see.
We'll manage the situation, of course, ma'am.
Fight it off, hold back any press.
But I just thought you should be aware.
Yes, thank you, Michael.
Thank you, ma'am.
Resignation?
Yes, ma'am.
Sent in the mistaken belief that his life was in immediate danger.
A subsequent biopsy revealed the tumor to be benign.
But the prime minister has had a difficult few months,
with one thing or another.
Is the prime minster well, your majesty?
The impression I get is
that he's lost the appetite somewhat.
Your majesty.
What for?
To go on.
Your majesty.
Prime minister.
Ma'am. Shall we?
How are you, prime minister?
All the better for no longer being one.
I hope you haven't come to dissuade me.
The situation's quite hopeless.
That's not my understanding.
The doctors told me that the tumor was benign.
It was the size of an orange.
While that causes inconvenience and discomfort that largely...
I'll still require a long period of convalescence.
Not be in a fit state
to undertake the arduous duties as pm.
I'm afraid my decision to resign is final.
That's very disappointing,
especially after our conversation.
As to who should succeed me,
as sovereign, you have the prerogative to consult,
but there's only one man, in my opinion.
- The Earl of home. - Alec?
- Yes, we're all very fond of him, but... - He's the right man.
A decade younger than me, steel painted as wood,
and the old governing class at its best.
I would call Alec to the palace right away, ma'am.
No sense dragging things out.
Is that an order, Mr. MacMillan?
It would be my advice, ma'am.
Do you know...
I've been queen barely ten years.
And in that time
I've had three prime ministers,
all of them ambitious men,
clever men, brilliant men.
Not one has lasted the course.
They've either been too old,
too ill or too weak.
A confederacy of elected quitters.
Your majesty.
Get out the bloody way, you moron!
Pillock.
Get out of the way.
- Tony. - Dear boy.
What are you doing here?
I could ask you the same question in reverse.
What were you not doing here?
In case you hadn't noticed,
your wife has just appointed a close family chum as prime minister
on the advice of a man who had no right to give that advice
since he was no longer in office.
It's blown up in her face somewhat.
We came to see if she was all right.
But she's already left.
Bolted back to the safety of Scotland.
Tony.
So where were you, you mysterious fellow?
St. Moritz at one point, I heard.
Yes.
That was a bit careless.
Just use me next time.
I'd always cover for you, you know.
Boys' honor and all that.
Come on!
I'm coming.
Fuck.
Good boy.
Here you are.
The idea was to be alone.
And hello to you, too.
Fine.
If you want me...
I'll be in the main house.
Hello?
This is most unlike you.
On the contrary.
This is the most like me I've been in years.
I understand the prime minister's resignation
- and all that. - It's not just the prime minister.
And your mother.
And your sister, and the children.
And the extended family.
And the church and the commonwealth and the country.
The whole ghastly relentlessness of it all.
The fact it never stops, not for a minute. I understand all that.
- Do you really? - I do.
But is it not possible that among all those problems
and all those things that are driving you mad,
there are some of us who are there for you no matter what?
Come what may?
If only.
- What's that supposed to mean? - It means exactly that.
If only.
Don't punish me with silence.
If you have a charge to make, come on, be a grown-up, make it.
All right.
Stephen ward.
Who?
The osteopath.
Yeah, dreadful man.
What about him?
In the aftermath of his suicide,
while searching his home,
detectives found a portrait, painted by him, of you.
I have no explanation for that.
There were more.
They had to be tracked down and reacquired, at great expense.
Can you imagine what would have happened
if the newspapers had got hold of them first?
They must've been done from photographs, not private sittings.
- But you don't deny knowing him? - He treated my neck.
It's what osteopaths do.
And procure women.
Not for me.
I met him a couple of times as a patient.
He talked the most ludicrous nonsense about tension and emotions,
so, I went to an Old Navy fellow instead
who slapped me about a bit and sorted it out straightaway.
So he never invited you to stay for the weekend?
He may have.
I certainly never went.
And the mystery man in the newspapers?
- That isn't you? - Don't be ridiculous.
I am not being ridiculous.
You are a mystery man to me.
Half the time I don't know where you are or what you're doing.
- All you need to do is ask. - Look...
I'm strong. You know that.
And I can cope with the truth.
I just demand to know the truth.
It's when people don't tell me the truth that I can't bear it.
Your recent trip to Switzerland, which you claimed was in aid of...
Dolphins.
Do you really expect anyone to believe that?
Switzerland's landlocked,
and Saint Moritz is a winter playground for millionaires and harlots.
Switzerland also happens to be the headquarters
for the world wildlife fund, of which I'm patron.
But I can see that this is a question
of appearance versus reality.
No, because some things can only be perceived one way
because they only have one meaning.
Such as?
There are two types of people in life.
Those whom one imagines to be trustworthy and reliable,
who turn out to be treacherous and weak, like Mr. MacMillan.
And those
who appear to be complex and difficult,
who turn out to be more dependable than anyone thought.
Like me.
I know exactly what my job is.
Your father made it perfectly clear.
You are my job.
You are the essence of my duty.
So here I am.
Liegeman of life and limb.
In, notout
Philip.
We're both adults.
And I think we're both realists.
We both know that marriage is a challenge,
under any circumstances.
So I can understand
if sometimes,
in order to let off steam,
in order to stay in,
you need to do what you need to do.
I can look the other way.
Yes, I know you can look the other way.
You've raised looking the other way into an art form.
I'm saying I don't want you to.
You can look this way.
I'm yours.
And not because you've given me a title,
not because we've come to an agreement.
But because I want to be.
Because I love you.
Amen
amen
push. And push.
Amen
amen
"In the name of the father and of the son and of the holy ghost."
"This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars..."
Amen.
"This other Eden
"Demi-paradise
"this fortress built by nature for herself
"against infection and the hand of war..."
And towards me, everyone. And this is wonderful, and...
Charles, we're going to look...
Charles, look.
Gloucesters, kents.
Can we at least have some element in focus?
For Christ's sake!
Take the photo.
"This happy breed of men, this little world
"this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this england."