Ludwig

Yes, Father, I am listening.

Do not be proud of the honor…

to which we are called today…

fear it.

From now on, the path to salvation…

will be all the more difficult for you.

Yes, Father.

Learn to be humble.

Humility is the greatest gift I can wish for you.

Listen to others…

the wise and experienced men around you.

Try to learn from them.

Remember, a truly great man…

is small within himself…

and cares nothing for renown.

Yes, Father.

You know the anguish I used to feel thinking of this day.

But I am not afraid anymore.

For some time now, I've felt at peace…

and I realize how I must use my power.

It seems so simple, so beautiful.

I can invite truly wise men to come to me.

Great geniuses, great artists.

And I can humbly ask for their help.

They will create the monuments of my reign.

Isn't that what the rulers did in ancient times?

And I will become a better man.

With the help of God.

In fear of God.

Serving God.

Now, make an act of contrition.

O God, I am heartily sorry…

There is something that justifies how I feel…

as I begin to conduct with you today…

this difficult and painful inquiry…

which aims at establishing if our King…

is still, in our opinion…

fit to rule our bereaved, ill-fated…

despised, ridiculed and tormented Bavaria…

without betraying the unwavering trust of his people.

What I am referring to…

is that I am one of the few.

One of the very few ministers who has been in office without suspension…

since March 1864.

Since the day when, full of illusions and hopes, we all applauded…

our prince as he was crowned and ascended to power.

The Secretary of the Treasury.

And now the ambassadors.

Their Excellencies the Ambassadors of Prussia and Austria.

Excuse me, Your Highness.

- His Majesty is almost ready. - Very well.

- Only two more minutes. - Thank you.

Thank you.

Your Majesty, the King would like to see you.

Thank you.

Champagne.

All right.

I would like to remind my illustrious colleagues of our astonishment when…

during the first meeting convened by His Majesty, we were told that…

the only necessary and urgent thing that needed to be done…

was tracing immediately Maestro Wagner…

and trying everything in our power to convince him…

to move to our country.

What is all this?

These are the reports on the police officials…

I sent to find Mr. Wagner, Sire.

Police? Why did you employ the police?

I am not a detective, Your Majesty.

And Mr. Wagner is difficult to find.

He is not in Munich, not in Vienna, not in Neuchâtel.

But he was in all those places…

up to a few moments before the arrival of our officials…

who went to look for him.

As Your Majesty can see from report number four…

we have word that Mr. Wagner is traveling to Stuttgart.

But I am waiting for confirmation.

Confirmation? From whom? From some other policemen?

I thought I had made myself clear.

I don't wish to arrest Wagner.

In all humility, I want to beg him to honor me with a visit…

because I am convinced…

that the presence of a great poet and composer like Richard Wagner…

could be of invaluable help and prestige for us.

It is not a police official who should be sent to deliver my invitation.

The maestro is surely, and rightly, incited…

that is why he doesn't wish to be found.

If my information is correct…

it is not our police officials Wagner is fleeing, Your Majesty…

it is his creditors.

Nonsense!

If Wagner is in Stuttgart, I will go personally…

and offer my apologies and my invitation.

I must remind Your Majesty that our Foreign Minister…

most warmly urges Your Majesty to visit Bad Ischl.

Not only are the Emperor of Austria and the Empress Elisabeth there…

but also the Crown Prince of Prussia, the Tsarina and…

Does our Foreign Minister fail to realize…

that our friendship with Richard Wagner is far more important…

than alliance with all the crown heads on holiday at Bad Ischl?

I am afraid he does not realize that, Sire.

Try to explain it to him, and tell him know that…

I won't move from here until Richard Wagner has been found!

If that is the case, Sire, I promise to solve the problem myself.

- It is only a question of price. - Let's not make any further mistakes.

Wagner will be given a letter from me and a gift.

I should perhaps have been more explicit, Sire…

I agree. A gift is required.

Now, as for Your Majesty's visit to Bad Ischl, we will…

It has been a long time since we last met, mon cousin.

Sometimes I have doubts about my future as an Empress.

So, as you can see, I am considering a new career…

as a circus rider.

Have you changed?

Ma cousine.

Mon cousin … How long has it been since we saw each other?

Five years…

No, more. Five years and six months.

You have a very good memory.

Grazie. À demain.

I am sorry I could not be at your coronation, but I was…

Where was I? Let me think.

Your ambassador said you were ill in bed.

That's not true. I was going to come…

but the thought of meeting all my relatives…

made me change my mind.

- The same happened to me today. - Really?

I was about to go for dinner when I heard you were here.

- Who told you? - My aide-de-camp. He knows everything.

He knew you were not going to attend tonight's official dinner…

with the excuse of being ill, as usual.

He also knew where you were.

So… I came here looking for you.

I suppose you pretended to be ill as well.

Yes, you have changed, indeed. You are much more handsome.

The most handsome king in Europe.

That's not much of a compliment, though.

Did you come to greet me or to spy on me?

I don't know.

Both.

And you gave me an excuse to avoid the dinner.

I am not used to official gatherings yet…

I suppose it takes training. But you, too.

Oh, with me things are different.

I escape whenever I feel like it under everyone's nose.

But you know, it's true.

People have been telling me you look more and more like me.

- Do you not think, mon cousin? - I do not know.

I would like to, though.

- Would you? - Why not?

I would like it, too.

You can return to the inn, Countess Ferenczy. I have an escort.

- Very well, Your Majesty. - Am I right?

- I do not want to go home right away. - As you wish.

- I am your hostage. - Of course.

Changes can be deceiving.

New places, new faces…

new habits to learn.

In other words…

there was enough to make someone like me feel content.

At the beginning, I did not even miss my family.

I was occupied. I had a husband to love…

before I realized that he did not know what to do with my love.

He was looking for love elsewhere.

And I had a mother-in-law to win over…

before I realized that she is actually a hateful woman.

She even denied me the right to raise my children.

My own children - entrusted with tutors, generals and priests…

became strangers to me.

Then, all of a sudden, you discover that…

the house you've been living in is just a gloomy, sinister palace.

You start wondering why you've spent the last ten years trapped there.

How awful.

You feel betrayed…

like a moth that's drawn to a house by the lights…

but gets trapped inside.

I suddenly realized it all…

as though I'd woken up from a long sleep.

My illness was the sorrow.

Then one day I left.

Madeira, Corfu…

Greece…

Italy.

Ah, Italy.

"Kennst du das Land, wo die Zitronen blühn."

I still protect myself by running away.

They say I am eccentric.

But they said that even before…

when it became clear I hated that prison Hofburg.

When it became clear I really could not bear a husband…

always in uniform always going to war.

Whatever I do or say, they criticise me.

So why shouldn't I do as I please?

Everyone has always spoken to me about you with great admiration.

Yes.

When I visit the hospitals, the wounded soldiers cheer me and cry.

I carry off official visits very well.

I only have to be beautiful and charm someone.

Just as you are supposed to do here.

Whom are you to charm? The Tsar?

I hear they want you to marry his daughter.