King of the Belgians

Some men go to great heights to ensure a dazzling legacy.

Most of us just struggle to get by.

And a random few are born to be king.

- It's quite a small camera, isn't it? - It's modern technology, Your Majesty.

It's impressive that one can make movies with such a small piece of equipment.

- How big is your team, Mr. Lloyd? - I'm the team. There's just me.

You're perfect. We'll make a nice portrait of you, do not worry.

Are you still so tired?

Sire, allow me, your speech.

- Mr. Moreau? - Mr. Lloyd?

I have to adjust His Majesty's microphone, if I may.

Yes, of course.

The documentary, Our King, must celebrate our king's competence.

- And professionalization. - I understand, Your Majesty.

And you must capture his vitality and his spontaneity.

- Controlled spontaneity. - Of course.

And the smiles. We need a lot of them. You're British, that's not bad.

The Belgians, if you were, are socially to be reminded

that these ongoing conflicts between Flanders and Wallonia

- are counterproductive. - Unbearable.

The image of our king is the one and only unifying force.

- That's why it must be polished. - Understood, Your Majesty.

- Please, excuse me. - Please.

Belgium, is it a proper country or just some geopolitical compromise?

I don't know.

But it does have palace and a king.

And a queen who hired me to make a promotional documentary about her husband.

Nicolas III, the King of the Belgians.

Mr. Lloyd, let me remind you the rule number one, no interviews.

And rule number two, no improvisations.

Well, I would like to discuss that at some point.

The contract is very clear, Mr. Lloyd.

Just follow the script, Mr. Lloyd.

Clearly they didn't realize that I was filming them which gave me hope.

This is the boring bit. I stick to their script and shoot the king being kingly.

Have you been here before?

This is the first time.

But the scene is necessary to appreciate this rather unlikely story.

His story, my story.

We will soon be welcoming Turkey

into the embrace of the European Union.

We, Belgians, being at the heart of Europe,

will allow this this momentous occasion

by donating our beloved Mini-Euro Park to the Turkish people.

He has already sent me eleven messages.

I do not know how I can do my job while I'm following this documentary.

The Queen would not cancel it because of her annual cold.

Sire?

If you allow me.

Mr. Bulut told me the evening program.

At 18, show of dancing dervishes.

No speech, just a few words.

I remember not to mention Iraq, Syria, Israel, the Kurds, Armenia.

Our federal problems, our debt.

And, above all, football. It is a delicate topic.

The gala dinner will start at 8 p.m. Nine courses.

No kebabs?

One, two, three.

Mr. Moreau, if you'll be so kind?

Thank you, and action.

Sire, the press conference will begin at 11 p.m. at Miniatiürk.

Your speech, sire.

The Prime Minister has made some changes.

I remember that in Turkey, the handshakes are energetic.

It's even shorter.

Brussels insisted on brevity.

Clearly a consequence of my speech in Scotland.

- I thought I had improvised this well. - That's right, sire.

Cut, please. Once more.

Carlos, please.

Sire, it is best to avoid any comment.

Sorry.

His Majesty?

Very well.

Yes, I'll be careful.

I care for you, do not worry.

I think so, yes.

See you, His Majesty.

Mr. Lloyd? The Queen wanted me to remind you...

to film the speeches from beginning to end and to catch the smiles.

Shall we do that again?

Sire, the press conference will begin at 11 p.m. at Miniatiürk.

Your speech, sire.

The Prime Minister has made some changes.

I remember that Turkey's handshakes are energetic.

Cut.

Perfect.

Now we can go, sire.

Mr. Lloyd, you can follow us.

It's really tiny.

The Atomium? Yes, it's a fiasco.

No. Well, that too.

The space reserved for Mini-Europe.

It looks like an extension of Turkey instead of the opposite.

It looks like an extension of Turkey instead of the opposite.

Mr. Moreau, excuse me. I have been just informed that

our president unfortunately has further delay.

May we propose to His Majesty and to the Belgian Ambassador

a short visit of the Miniatiürk Park while we are waiting?

Mr. Moreau, what about the Atomium?

The Turkish people have a lot to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk,

the Commander of the Turkish forces in the Independence War

and the founder of the Turkish Republic.

And they expressed their gratitude by building this colossal mausoleum.

Freedom or death.

He was a man with a vision, wasn't he?

Yes. We all have a great admiration fo Kemal Atatürk, Your Majesty.

While with his vision, Turkey would be a very different country today.

This is my last shot of the king walking around like a puppet in the park.

Breaking news was on its way and there would be no script to follow anymore.

Ludovic!

Wallonia has declared its independence!

Belgium collapsed!

Their declaration of independence is called 'We're Tired'.

Fed up? About what?

The valleys feel faint, humiliated, and misunderstood by the Flemings.

They are tired.

We must go back to Belgium immediately.

We will arrive at the airport in ninety minutes.

Ready? Could you repeat that?

His Majesty the King wishes to speak to the Minister-Walloon President. Ready?

- Ludovic? - I'm sorry, but the line has fallen.

My speech.

Of course, I'll handle it before we arrive in Brussels.

No, Ludovic.

I will write this speech myself.

We must first analyze the political, diplomatic and protocol aspects

with the head of the cabinet, which is now unreachable.

And with the various federal ministers.

I'm not sure which ones.

Sire, now we have to watch every movement and gesture, every word.

Be cautious, sire.

Faster, faster!

When the king made his oath, he promised...

to always protect the integrity of the kingdom.

And that King is me.

Unity is strength.

Unity is strength.

This has to be included.

Carlos knew I was stealing images on the sly, but he let me bypass protocol.

I liked Carlos.

Some have a vision.

Others have a dream.

- What does intuition tell you, sire? - My intuition?

Perhaps this is the time to show who you really are.

Show your feelings, your humor, perhaps even your faults.

These defects have already been largely mentioned by the press.

Nicolas the Silent?

Silence is dignified.

- Let them write what they want. - Sire.

Sire.

- Louise, did you talk to the Queen? - I can not talk to the Palace.

- And the Prime Minister? - Still unreachable.

Does he want to be reached?

- We are ready. - Carlos, what does he do here?

- Apparently he will not go anywhere. - Why?

- The situation requires an emergency meeting. - What the hell is going on?

All flights are grounded due to a cosmic disturbance.

- Pardon me, a cosmic what? - A solar storm to be precisely.

The satellites are malfunctioning, some have even fallen from the sky.

Due to security purposes, you must stay here.

- Here in Istanbul? - No, in this hotel.

All foreign dignitaries are being centralized here.

- How long must we wait? - One day, one week, it's not clear.

Do you remember the Icelandic volcano, Eyjajafufukukul?

- Eyjafjallajökull. - Yes.

- I must get home to Belgium immediately. - I understand, Your Majesty.

Everyone is being inconvenienced by this situation.

I personally had my promotion scheduled for this week.

If it is impossible to fly, then we shall go by road.

- By road? Through the Balkans? - Yes.

Crossing those territories in such unstable times

is definitely not an option, Your Majesty.

Why not?

Because it's the Balkans.

So?

- The Balkans, I mean. - Yes, so?

Unstable.

Unstable. It's Bulgaria, Serbia...

Romania, Albania, Macedonia...

- Excuse me. - Your Majesty. Excuse me.

- We'll have a meeting. We're coming back. - It's ok.

- You must understand... - Sire.

Wait a minute, please.

We have to find a solution.

It is not possible, Your Majesty.

Excuse me, I have to go.

Mr. Lloyd, not now.

I try to speak with Turkish security and Mr. Bulut.

Maybe even with the Ambassador.

I'm going to take the luggage.

Sire, I will try to see if there's network.

Excuse me.

Where is the Ambassador?

I used to cover wars and revolutions.

Then I drank for a decade, haunted by demons.

Profiling royals got me back on my feet.

Let's face it, history was in the making here.

But my position was getting dodgier by the minute.

So I hatched a plan that just might keep me in business.