Bertie and Elizabeth
Bertie and Elizabeth is a made-for-TV romance movie by Masterpiece Theatre about George VI ("Bertie") and his wife, Elizabeth. They are portrayed as priggish and old-fashioned, but also as honorable, dutiful and willing to sacrifice for their people. It is a charming and heartwarming, if mildly dull, movie. Its main fault was that it leaned too far to make Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson unlikable beyond what was necessary to make that point. On the other hand, unlike many movies, it had the virtue of showing sympathetically people who strongly believed in values different from those of recent times, which is helpful in understanding how people of the past really thought.
Tropes used in Bertie and Elizabeth include:
- Adorkable: Bertie, Bertie, Bertie. Elizabeth agrees.
- Balcony Speech: George VI gives several of these, even though he has a stammer.
- Beauty Equals Goodness: Elizabeth looks quite well in her sky-blue sweater.
- But Lizzy jr. and her sister look gorgeous. Because Everything's Better with Princesses.
- Berserk Button: Don't insult Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in front of Bertie. Just... don't.
- Beware the Nice Ones
- Black Sheep: Edward VIII.
- Blue Blood: Although Queen Mary calls Elizabeth a "commoner" - and is technically correct, since Elizabeth does not hold a title in her own right - she is the daughter of the Earl of Strathmore, and therefore from one of the UK's most illustrious noble lines.
- The British Empire
- British Royal Family
- The Chains of Commanding
- Completely Missing the Point: Invoked. When Edward (rather presumptuously, when you think about it) complains about rituals, his father actually has to tell him that "Monarchy is ritual."
- Cool People Rebel Against Authority: Inverted and Deconstructed. Edward VIII is portrayed as being perfectly fine with privilege but unwilling to make sacrifices. George is The Dutiful Son and splendidly fulfills the role chosen for him by society. Edward is shunned for it, and the sympathy is with the shunner, not the shunnee.
- Though one can sympathize with him for demanding that his new wife be accepted. Any husband would do that even if he acquired his wife in a questionable relationship.
- On the other hand, the Real Life Edward had rather an uncouth liking for fascists. One can sympathise with the motives for adultery rather than the motives for treason.
- Though one can sympathize with him for demanding that his new wife be accepted. Any husband would do that even if he acquired his wife in a questionable relationship.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: A mild version. George is a shy man with a stammer. And Those Wacky Nazis had better not mess with The British Empire on his watch.
- The Dutiful Son: George VI.
- Ermine Cape Effect
- Good Adultery, Bad Adultery: Definitely bad. Edward VIII offended all of Britain for his personal happiness.
- Good Is Old-Fashioned: George and Elizabeth have an old-fashioned concept of duty. Edward who is more "modern" is a Royal Brat.
- Happily Married: George and Elizabeth, of course.
- The Heart: George and Elizabeth. Their job was to be the Heart of The British Empire and give encouragement to their loyal subjects while they are giving what-for to Those Wacky Nazis.
- Honor Before Reason: In their quiet way, both George and Elizabeth live this trope. But perhaps the best example was their refusal to go into safety or even send their children into safety. As Elizabeth put it, "The children will not go without me; I will not go without the King; and the King will never leave his country."
- Hot Consort
- Lady of War: Invoked. Elizabeth is shown doing a Take That against Britain's enemies by having four targets painted with a Dartboard of Hate (two with swastikas, two with a cartoon Hitler), for her to take pistol practice on them.
- Mama Bear: Subverted. Elizabeth decides without batting an eyelash that her children have to stay during the Blitz. But then her job was to be Britain's Mama Bear.
- Modest Royalty: They are shown eating fish-cakes because of rations.
- The Power of Love
- Remittance Man: Edward and his wife are sent to Coventry by the entire upper class.
- Royal Brat: Edward
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: George and Elizabeth.
- Security Cling: When Buckingham Palace is bombed, Bertie and Elizabeth run to a point of safety and cling to each other - or rather, Elizabeth clings to her husband. It's one of the few times we see their roles reverse; while Elizabeth is usually the one Bertie leans on, in this case it is Elizabeth who is leaning on Bertie, and he is the one taking care of her. Given that Bertie had seen front-line naval combat during World War I, while Elizabeth never had, it makes perfect sense that he would be the one calm and in control.
- A Shared Suffering: George and Elizabeth are shown sharing The Chains of Commanding. It has been said, with good reason, that no British monarch has ever owed more to his wife. It was Elizabeth's popularity that swung the decision to have Bertie succeed his brother (as opposed to Bertie's younger brother Prince George), and she was the one who gave him the strength to lead Britain through WWII - which does nothing to diminish his accomplishments whatsoever.
- Undying Loyalty: George and Elizabeth, to each other and to Britain.
- Unexpected Successor: George VI.
- Youngest Child Wins: George VI (although he had two younger brothers...)
- The Wise Prince: George VI
- The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask: Elizabeth
- The Great Depression / World War II