Victoria (2016–…): Season 3, Episode 4 - Episode #3.4 - full transcript
I must to go to Cambridge
as I have been asked to stand
as chancellor of the
university.
In my absence, I hope
you will follow my advice
and employ a male tutor
for Bertie.
His behavior has become...
unmanageable.
For the prince.
Mm-hmm.
From the queen, sir.
Bertie's misbehavior
is simply
that he does not fulfill
your very specific expectations
of how a boy should act.
Thank you.
There is no question
of you going to Cambridge
today.
Have you forgotten
we are receiving
the foreign ambassadors
tonight?
We must present a united front.
By "united front," you mean
another opportunity
for you to indulge your vanity
while I am paraded around
like a show pony.
Sir.
Must I explain again
that since I was forced
to run away to Osborne,
I have had to double my efforts
to show my people
the same devotion
as I show my children?
What you call vanity,
I call duty.
Well, if you treat your country
like a child,
how will it ever mature?
I, too, have important work,
Albert,
and that is to show my people
their queen is by their side.
Look what I can do
with my new toy!
Your Grace.
I...
I have been meaning
to thank you
for what you did for me
in Osborne.
I...
Anyone would have done
what I did.
We open in three days.
The place is filthy.
Look.
Look at these windows.
Once they taste
my strawberry tarts,
they won't be looking
out the window, Nancy.
Do you think
we should change the name?
What shall we call it?
The Palace.
It was a joke!You're a chef.
You should know
about timing.
Please tell His Royal Highness
our correspondence is at an end.
I believe this letter
is from Mrs. Skerr--
Mrs. Francatelli, ma'am.
Is that the best you can do?
Leave us.
You seem out of sorts
lately, Drina.
Could you blame me?
Albert is
God knows where,
and the one person
who could do my hair properly
has left me to get married.
It's hopeless.
Don't worry, Drina.
Hm?
I will never desert you.
Can't you just give him
some medicine, doctor?
Just last night
he was on the street playing,
refusing to go to bed.
Why has the Lord saved me
when my boy...
I'm very sorry to tell you
that your son has cholera,
Mrs. Dolan.
We, we don't know
where it comes from,
only that it acts fast.
Now, do, do you remember
who he was with yesterday?
What are you talking about?
Could you tell me,
where, where he had been
before he came home
last night?
Do you want your son's life
to mean something?
If you can help me
discover the cause,
he will not die in vain.
Allow me.
William's been at school
for two months now.
Perhaps I could visit him?
Are you fond of this necklace?
Remember.
Everything you are fond of
belongs to me.
Her Majesty the Queen.
Emma, I do believe the prince
is smiling at the queen.
That is just for the public,
I'm afraid.
Perhaps that's all
marriage is.
Presenting
an appropriate facade.
Your Majesty,
may I present His Excellency
the Ambassador to Oudh.
Your Excellency.Your Majesty.
The king of Oudh
sends his felicitations
on the birth
of the Princess Louise.
And he hopes
that you will accept
this gift for the princess.
The gems are said to protect
the wearer from misfortune.
Your Majesty,
may I present His Excellency
the Persian Envoy.
His Excellency
the Portuguese Envoy.
Prime Minister.
I wanted to tell you,
I, I have been asked
to stand as chancellor
at Cambridge University.
Mi dispiace, signora,
un momento.
You'll be a vast improvement
on the previous royal incumbent.
The duke of Gloucester
had great difficulty
in keeping his mouth closed.Well, there is much to be done.
At Bonn, we studied
botany, geology,
all of the natural sciences.
But at Cambridge, they study
little more than the classics.
Homer and Virgil
made me the man I am today.
Oh, yes,
I believe you
studied at, um,
"Mag-dalene" College...
...Lord Palmerston.
You might want to learn
the names of the colleges
before you start telling them
what to study, sir.
"Maud-lin," sir.
Thank you.
Of course, the chancellorship
is an honorary position,
sir.
It has no executive power.
And Cambridge is not a place
that relishes innovation.
Even more reason
to accept the post.
Ah, you must not worry
about your duties here.
I will support Victoria.
I hope Cambridge
is ready for you, sir.
Thank you.
Your Serene Highness,
have you heard
the "Swedish Nightingale"
sing before?
I have not.
Well then, how fortunate
that you are here tonight.
I don't suppose singers
of her caliber
often make it all the way
over to Langenburg.
But now Europe is at peace,
I'm sure you'll be making
preparations to return there.
Tell me, is your wife here?
I should so like to meet her.
She is very particular
about the company she keeps.
As is the prince.
I believe he has forbidden
the maids of honor
from walking the grounds
unaccompanied.
In case of assignations.
Used the leftovers
from the Chartists' banners.
Isn't much call for them now.
Cuffay's been transported.
Sometimes it feels like
none of it ever happened.
Well, you've made them
look beautiful.
I shall repay
the favor one day.
It is you doing me the favor.
Not much keeping me busy
since you left.
I'm troubled by opening
with all of this, Charles.
You've been troubled from
the moment you left the palace.
Please try to remember
what you've got.
Not what you had.
Prime Minister.
Prime Minister.
Sir.Thank you.
Something the matter?
Nothing to concern you
at present, ma'am.
Judging by the look
on the prime minister's face,
I would beg to differ.
I've just been informed
that there is
a cholera outbreak
in Soho.
We thought it was just
a few isolated cases.
I assure you
we're doing all we can.
We're closing
all the graveyards in town,
and opening them in the country,
to prevent any...
...congestion.
So your suggestion
is to tidy the problem away.
Surely we should be trying to
find out what is causing this.
It's a laudable aim, sir.
But as politicians,
we can't waste our time
with scientific red herrings.
We need to make sure
that the public are reassured.
The last thing we need,
is to have cabs filled
with dead children
outside graveyards.
I don't want my guests
to hear any of this.
Perhaps Miss Lind
could give us an encore?
I think the only way
to get rid of this disease
is to get rid
of all these foreigners.
What do you reckon, Joseph?
I'm sure you have a theory.
All we can do is protect
those in need.
Why would you not want me
to be in a position
where I can make
a real change to this country?
I need you here, Albert.
How can you think of leaving
London at a time like this?
I'm sure you believe
that your presence here,
it will cure the sick.
No, your, your predecessors
may have believed
in such superstitions,
Victoria, but this
is the 19th century!
You are so callous
at the moment.
You know how hard it is for me
without Skerrett.
I suppose that you believe
we are all abandoning you.
I don't recognize you.
Well, I recognize you!
What does that mean?How could I forget
your warmth?
Your generosity
in times of crisis?
It is what holds
this country together.
I am a queen, Albert!
What is it you fail
to understand?
I can only assure
the Honorable Member
that every precaution
is being taken
to stop this terrible plague
spreading!
This is the third and most
devastating outbreak of cholera
to ravage the streets of London
in the last five years!
127 people have died
within three days
in one single street in Soho.
Half a mile from this House.
I can only repeat!
We are expediting
every remedy we know.
And now His Royal Highness,
and soon, I hope,
to be chancellor
of this university,
will say a few words.
Thank you, Master.
My university in Bonn,
one was not afraid
to challenge tradition.
We should strive
to build a future
that is enlightened by science
and rationality.
The dreaded disease that today
is causing misery in our capital
must be stopped.
But that will only happen
if institutions
such as this
ask the right questions.
I'm sure you will resolve
your differences.
Hm?
Do you know why I spend
so much time playing this piano?
My husband sold my instrument
in Langenburg
to pay off his gambling debts.
I hardly know anything
of your life in Germany.
When I first arrived here, I...
I thought we would
never understand each other
the way we did as children,
my life had become so dark.
And yours was...
so light.
But perhaps we have
more in common than I thought.
I too understand the ache
of a lonely marriage.
We've always fought,
but in the past,
it would...
It would bring us
closer together.
He still resents me for
taking him away from Osborne,
his...
His creation.
You believe he is trying
to take revenge?
That's a strong word.
Hmm.
Perhaps it's the right one.
No human pursuits
have ever made
any material progress
until science was brought
to bear upon them.
Now, we must not be complacent.
We must consistently test
the limits of our knowledge.
For, in the words
of Alexander von Humboldt,
the renowned scientist,
who I believe was in residence
at Magdalen College,
universities ask questions
where the answers are not known.
School is discipline.
University is freedom.
Hear! Hear!
Thank you for your thoughts
on our education,
Your Royal Highness.
Cambridge has produced
the greatest minds in the world
for over 600 years
from a curriculum based
in theology
and the lessons of the past.
Are you, for example,
suggesting that we teach the
heretical work of Charles Lyell,
who believes that the world
was not created in seven days?
Hear! Hear!
Foreigners.
It is bought in by foreigners.
The first case recorded
was in a seamen's hostel
in Limehouse.
Nonsense.
The toxic miasma
should abate soon,
and now that Covent Garden
has been closed.
The only cure is for people
to maintain their composure.
Are we safe here
in the palace?
Here, you are
quite protected, ma'am.
The air is clean and safe
around the palace.
But outside,
the danger of encountering
the miasma
is too great.
Are you proposing to put me
in quarantine?
As your prime minister,
I urge you
to remain here until contagion
has passed, ma'am.
And what example
does it set to my people
if I'm hiding here
in the palace?
You don't have to be seen,
ma'am.
You could announce
a national day of penance,
perhaps a day of fast.
Would that would raise
the spirits of my people?
No.
Dr. Snow?
Do you have another theory
about how the disease
is spread?
I s-s...
Yes?
Without proof,
I cannot offer you an answer,
and as I... have no proof,
I have no answer,
Y-your Majesty.
Russell has been most
unhelpful.
I have heard the reports
from Parliament
and I do not wish
to stand idle.
I should like you to organize
a visit to the hospital.
I'm your foreign secretary,
ma'am.
May I suggest you contact
the commissioner
for the Board of Health.
And he will hem and haw
and talk about
the danger of infection.
You, on the other hand,
you've never met a rule
you didn't want to break.
You sound like my wife, ma'am.
But don't you worry
about catching it?
Lord Palmerston,
if one of my children were ill,
I would not hesitate
to go into the sickroom.
I understand-- I'll make
the necessary arrangements.
Although I imagine
those woolgatherers
at the Board of Health
will have a
conniption fit.
Not if we don't tell them.
Your Grace.
From the duke.
Can you, uh,
order my carriage?
I have been summoned.
I hope you will be
careful.
Surely your husband
would rather you remained
in the palace
until the contagion has passed.
I cannot refuse him.
In this circumstance,
you should not be afraid to.
Shall I let him know that
you are to remain at the palace?
If he's not at home,
he will be at his club.
Exactly.
I make two kinds of tonic
for women in your condition.
This one
works a treat
for ladies who are happy
to welcome a little stranger.
And, um, I have this one...
...for those who aren't.
Do you want a surprise?
Depends.
Is it a good one?
Yes.
But you'll have to be patient.
Why?
Because you'll have to wait
nine months.
Yes?Yes.
You also want
some entertainment.
What we've been craving.
Your Grace,
I have a message for you.
I'm sorry,
I didn't quite catch that.
A message, Your Grace.
It's almost as though he's
speaking a different language.
Her Grace would like
to inform you
that she has decided
to remain at the palace.
You can remind the duchess
that as it was a command,
I did not expect a reply.
She must leave immediately.
Are you sure you want to do
this, ma'am?
It's not a matter of want.
It's a matter of duty.
Excuse me, miss.
Help me, sir.
Just straight ahead, ma'am.
This way.
It's a cruel disease, ma'am.
What's that noise?
I found her on the floor
of the Parthenon in Athens.
She had fallen from her nest.
And I've had her with me
ever since.
Aren't you worried
she'll bite you?
No, she never has yet.
Just as I've never caught
anything from my patients.
So you don't believe
in the miasma theory?
If it was in the air,
I would be dead by now, ma'am.
What do you think causes it?
All I know is that it is
a disease that follows poverty,
and dirt.
There must be...
God, there must be
something I can do.
A subscription.
Blankets.
The medical board have theories.
Fairy tales.
There's only one doctor
who comes to visit.
A quiet man with a stammer.
I hope he will put an end to it.
Thank you.
What is your name?
Florence Nightingale, ma'am.
The work of Lyell
is most intriguing.
If the fossils do indeed
date from different periods,
then there is no basis...
Sir, I...
I thought you should know,
the gentleman, Powis,
who made his...
preferences
so clear at dinner
has decided to stand
against you.
Has this ever
happened before?
No, but then they have never
been faced with the prospect
of a foreign chancellor,
and a German one at that.
Thank you.
Mama! Mama!
Mama!
Darling!
Oh, come here, come here.We missed you.
What is it, Mama?
Is it my fault?
No, darling, I'm...
I'm just so happy to see you.
Aren't you happy to see me?
Come along.
Back inside.
Oh, Victoria.
My poor sister.
There was nothing I could do.
You're so hard
on yourself, hm?
Duchess, it's your turn.
Your Grace.
The duke has asked me
to inform you
he does not wholly agree
with your message.
I see.
I could let him know
that it is a royal command.
Thank you, I will deal
with the situation myself.
I wish to see him.
The young gentleman,
Yorkshireman.
Dr. Snow?
The fellow who could hardly
string a sentence together?
You should know
that he is seen
by the medical establishment
as an eccentric.
I hear he doesn't eat
meat.
Or fish.
If he can discover
the cause of this disease,
then his diet
is of no concern to me.
Please send for him immediately.
How long you been there
watching me?
Long enough.For what?
For you to finish so I won't
have to do any work.
That's why I married you.
Oh!
Oh, it's perfect.
Am I late?
The guest of honor is...
...never late, Mr. Brodie.Never late!
Take this off.Thank you.
Oh, hello.
Welcome.
Abigail!
Both hungry?
There is a lot to get through
before we open to the public
tomorrow.
How's life at the palace,
Mr. Brodie?
Well, the queen
isn't very happy
with her new dresser,
and she's been doing
her own hair.
You're not hitting
the bottle, are you?
Joseph?
I, uh...
I, I need some sealing wax.
Your Grace.
I am glad you are still
at the palace.
The queen is the only woman
he can't pull rank on.
You weren't at dinner.
It was very quiet.
Is my voice so loud?
When it's the only thing
I can hear.
I can hardly believe I'm here,
under my own roof,
with my beautiful wife
and... with...
a little Francatelli on the way?
Long live the house
of Francatelli!
Thank you.
I want to propose a toast.
To Charles Francatelli,
for not listening to me
when I said
this couldn't be done.
We may have left the palace,
but he is a king among men.
To good health.
If you'll excuse me
for just a moment.
Oh, that is delicious.Lovely speech.
Thank you.
Powis for chancellor!
Powis for chancellor!
Down with the German!
Lord Palmerston.
I did not know
you were in Cambridge.
I thought I'd make the trip
to brush up on my Ovid.
And as a graduate,
I've come to vote, of course.
The future of this university
is very important to me.
And to the nation.
What do you want?
You are still open,
despite the cholera.
What's it to you?
I have patients in this street.
Nothing wrong with my men.
How curious.
no women, no foreigners,
and all the beer you can drink.
Here, go on,
have one on the house.
No, thank you.
Suit yourself.
I reckon it's the best medicine
out there. Cheers!
He refused my invitation?RUSSELL:
As I said,
Dr. Snow is seen
as a maverick.
But what was his reason?
Apparently he hasn't found
the proof you needed, ma'am.
Proof or no proof,
I should like to speak with him.
Send for him again.
I went to church.
And then?
To my apothecary shop.
Where is that?
Soho.
Just off Broad Street.
And-and after work?
Mrs. Arbuthnot.
I need a few more answers.
You're the only case
outside Soho.
I visited my sister.
Is she sick?
No.
What route did you take home?
The usual.
Marshall Street.
Broad Street.
You can stop off
for fresh water at the pump.
For my tonics.
Here you are, my darling,
everything just as you like it.
Coddled eggs,
poor knights of Windsor,
and then more...What shall we call the baby?
Plenty of time
to decide that.
Victoria if it's a boy.
Albert if it's a girl.
No, that's not right.
Victoria...
if it's a girl.
Shh... Nancy.
Nancy.
What are you doing?
We have to get up
or Mr. Penge will find us.
Shh, shh, Nancy, Nancy.
We're not in the palace
anymore.
Stop using that pump!
Stop!
Please!
What are you doing?
Go on, get out of here!
The votes have been counted.
Votes for
the earl of Powis--
837.
Votes for
His Royal Highness
Prince Albert--
953.
Congratulations,
Your Royal Highness.
Thank you.
Although I'm sure
you will be pleased to hear
that I shall not be accepting
the chancellorship
under such circumstances.
Clearly
they do not want me.
Well then, my journey
will have been in vain.
You voted for me?
Yes, I surprised even myself.
I had what the dons might call
a Damascene conversion.
You have come around
to my way of thinking?
Only on the matter
of cholera, sir.
Congratulations, sir.
I...
I... wondered what...
We don't have all day.
Prime Minister,
perhaps you could leave
Dr. Snow and I to talk alone.
Please.
Make yourself comfortable.
Tea?
I th--
I thought that the, uh...
Please, let me.
That will be all.
Speaking in public
has always been of...
great difficulty to me.
The trick, I find, is...
is to pretend
I'm speaking to Islay.
Islay hangs on my every word.
Don't you, Islay?
You were saying?
I've been c-certain for a while.
It's not miasma,
not the air, but the water.
Bad water, ma'am.
Women and children are
more likely to drink water
and they have died
in greater numbers.
Men who work in the breweries
are unaffected
because they only drink beer.
But... then this...
case in Hampstead.
Only one woman in the village
had contracted it.
I discovered that she had
her water brought up
from a pump in Broad Street.
She even used it in the tonics
in her apothecary.
It is the pump
that is spreading the disease.
This evidence, I believe,
can finally stop the contagion.
Excuse me.
Sir, what was the name
of the woman
making the tonics?
Arbuthnot.
Your Royal Highness.
They are ready for you.
No.
Do something.
Do... something!
When did it start?
Early this morning.
I thought it was something
to do with the child.
Child?
Oh, dear Skerrett.
Do you want me to do your hair,
ma'am?
I've got my own palace now.
Yes, you have.
It's splendid.
Victoria...
...if it's a girl.
I couldn't dream
of a greater honor.
Charles!
The chancellor
of Cambridge University.
Congratulations, Albert.
It should have been a,
a formality,
but instead it was a...
...a humiliation.
But you won.
Just.
I should have listened
to Victoria.
It is not enough
to be right,
one also has to win over
the public.
Do you remember
when I first
told you my name?
That was when I knew.
So did I.
All that time,
we could have been together.
Just you wait.
All of this...
will be a marvelous success.
Not without you.
I should have married you
sooner.
It wasn't long...
But it meant everything.
Nancy?
Nan-- Nancy.
I know that I left
when you needed me most.
I...
I never opened her letter.
You could not have known.
But as much as I wanted
to remain by your side...
My heart took me
into my new life.
I hope you will accept my
future with Mr. Francatelli,
as you once accepted my past.
Abigail, whom you met,
I recommend to fill
my position.
Your obedient servant,
Mrs. Charles Francatelli.
as I have been asked to stand
as chancellor of the
university.
In my absence, I hope
you will follow my advice
and employ a male tutor
for Bertie.
His behavior has become...
unmanageable.
For the prince.
Mm-hmm.
From the queen, sir.
Bertie's misbehavior
is simply
that he does not fulfill
your very specific expectations
of how a boy should act.
Thank you.
There is no question
of you going to Cambridge
today.
Have you forgotten
we are receiving
the foreign ambassadors
tonight?
We must present a united front.
By "united front," you mean
another opportunity
for you to indulge your vanity
while I am paraded around
like a show pony.
Sir.
Must I explain again
that since I was forced
to run away to Osborne,
I have had to double my efforts
to show my people
the same devotion
as I show my children?
What you call vanity,
I call duty.
Well, if you treat your country
like a child,
how will it ever mature?
I, too, have important work,
Albert,
and that is to show my people
their queen is by their side.
Look what I can do
with my new toy!
Your Grace.
I...
I have been meaning
to thank you
for what you did for me
in Osborne.
I...
Anyone would have done
what I did.
We open in three days.
The place is filthy.
Look.
Look at these windows.
Once they taste
my strawberry tarts,
they won't be looking
out the window, Nancy.
Do you think
we should change the name?
What shall we call it?
The Palace.
It was a joke!You're a chef.
You should know
about timing.
Please tell His Royal Highness
our correspondence is at an end.
I believe this letter
is from Mrs. Skerr--
Mrs. Francatelli, ma'am.
Is that the best you can do?
Leave us.
You seem out of sorts
lately, Drina.
Could you blame me?
Albert is
God knows where,
and the one person
who could do my hair properly
has left me to get married.
It's hopeless.
Don't worry, Drina.
Hm?
I will never desert you.
Can't you just give him
some medicine, doctor?
Just last night
he was on the street playing,
refusing to go to bed.
Why has the Lord saved me
when my boy...
I'm very sorry to tell you
that your son has cholera,
Mrs. Dolan.
We, we don't know
where it comes from,
only that it acts fast.
Now, do, do you remember
who he was with yesterday?
What are you talking about?
Could you tell me,
where, where he had been
before he came home
last night?
Do you want your son's life
to mean something?
If you can help me
discover the cause,
he will not die in vain.
Allow me.
William's been at school
for two months now.
Perhaps I could visit him?
Are you fond of this necklace?
Remember.
Everything you are fond of
belongs to me.
Her Majesty the Queen.
Emma, I do believe the prince
is smiling at the queen.
That is just for the public,
I'm afraid.
Perhaps that's all
marriage is.
Presenting
an appropriate facade.
Your Majesty,
may I present His Excellency
the Ambassador to Oudh.
Your Excellency.Your Majesty.
The king of Oudh
sends his felicitations
on the birth
of the Princess Louise.
And he hopes
that you will accept
this gift for the princess.
The gems are said to protect
the wearer from misfortune.
Your Majesty,
may I present His Excellency
the Persian Envoy.
His Excellency
the Portuguese Envoy.
Prime Minister.
I wanted to tell you,
I, I have been asked
to stand as chancellor
at Cambridge University.
Mi dispiace, signora,
un momento.
You'll be a vast improvement
on the previous royal incumbent.
The duke of Gloucester
had great difficulty
in keeping his mouth closed.Well, there is much to be done.
At Bonn, we studied
botany, geology,
all of the natural sciences.
But at Cambridge, they study
little more than the classics.
Homer and Virgil
made me the man I am today.
Oh, yes,
I believe you
studied at, um,
"Mag-dalene" College...
...Lord Palmerston.
You might want to learn
the names of the colleges
before you start telling them
what to study, sir.
"Maud-lin," sir.
Thank you.
Of course, the chancellorship
is an honorary position,
sir.
It has no executive power.
And Cambridge is not a place
that relishes innovation.
Even more reason
to accept the post.
Ah, you must not worry
about your duties here.
I will support Victoria.
I hope Cambridge
is ready for you, sir.
Thank you.
Your Serene Highness,
have you heard
the "Swedish Nightingale"
sing before?
I have not.
Well then, how fortunate
that you are here tonight.
I don't suppose singers
of her caliber
often make it all the way
over to Langenburg.
But now Europe is at peace,
I'm sure you'll be making
preparations to return there.
Tell me, is your wife here?
I should so like to meet her.
She is very particular
about the company she keeps.
As is the prince.
I believe he has forbidden
the maids of honor
from walking the grounds
unaccompanied.
In case of assignations.
Used the leftovers
from the Chartists' banners.
Isn't much call for them now.
Cuffay's been transported.
Sometimes it feels like
none of it ever happened.
Well, you've made them
look beautiful.
I shall repay
the favor one day.
It is you doing me the favor.
Not much keeping me busy
since you left.
I'm troubled by opening
with all of this, Charles.
You've been troubled from
the moment you left the palace.
Please try to remember
what you've got.
Not what you had.
Prime Minister.
Prime Minister.
Sir.Thank you.
Something the matter?
Nothing to concern you
at present, ma'am.
Judging by the look
on the prime minister's face,
I would beg to differ.
I've just been informed
that there is
a cholera outbreak
in Soho.
We thought it was just
a few isolated cases.
I assure you
we're doing all we can.
We're closing
all the graveyards in town,
and opening them in the country,
to prevent any...
...congestion.
So your suggestion
is to tidy the problem away.
Surely we should be trying to
find out what is causing this.
It's a laudable aim, sir.
But as politicians,
we can't waste our time
with scientific red herrings.
We need to make sure
that the public are reassured.
The last thing we need,
is to have cabs filled
with dead children
outside graveyards.
I don't want my guests
to hear any of this.
Perhaps Miss Lind
could give us an encore?
I think the only way
to get rid of this disease
is to get rid
of all these foreigners.
What do you reckon, Joseph?
I'm sure you have a theory.
All we can do is protect
those in need.
Why would you not want me
to be in a position
where I can make
a real change to this country?
I need you here, Albert.
How can you think of leaving
London at a time like this?
I'm sure you believe
that your presence here,
it will cure the sick.
No, your, your predecessors
may have believed
in such superstitions,
Victoria, but this
is the 19th century!
You are so callous
at the moment.
You know how hard it is for me
without Skerrett.
I suppose that you believe
we are all abandoning you.
I don't recognize you.
Well, I recognize you!
What does that mean?How could I forget
your warmth?
Your generosity
in times of crisis?
It is what holds
this country together.
I am a queen, Albert!
What is it you fail
to understand?
I can only assure
the Honorable Member
that every precaution
is being taken
to stop this terrible plague
spreading!
This is the third and most
devastating outbreak of cholera
to ravage the streets of London
in the last five years!
127 people have died
within three days
in one single street in Soho.
Half a mile from this House.
I can only repeat!
We are expediting
every remedy we know.
And now His Royal Highness,
and soon, I hope,
to be chancellor
of this university,
will say a few words.
Thank you, Master.
My university in Bonn,
one was not afraid
to challenge tradition.
We should strive
to build a future
that is enlightened by science
and rationality.
The dreaded disease that today
is causing misery in our capital
must be stopped.
But that will only happen
if institutions
such as this
ask the right questions.
I'm sure you will resolve
your differences.
Hm?
Do you know why I spend
so much time playing this piano?
My husband sold my instrument
in Langenburg
to pay off his gambling debts.
I hardly know anything
of your life in Germany.
When I first arrived here, I...
I thought we would
never understand each other
the way we did as children,
my life had become so dark.
And yours was...
so light.
But perhaps we have
more in common than I thought.
I too understand the ache
of a lonely marriage.
We've always fought,
but in the past,
it would...
It would bring us
closer together.
He still resents me for
taking him away from Osborne,
his...
His creation.
You believe he is trying
to take revenge?
That's a strong word.
Hmm.
Perhaps it's the right one.
No human pursuits
have ever made
any material progress
until science was brought
to bear upon them.
Now, we must not be complacent.
We must consistently test
the limits of our knowledge.
For, in the words
of Alexander von Humboldt,
the renowned scientist,
who I believe was in residence
at Magdalen College,
universities ask questions
where the answers are not known.
School is discipline.
University is freedom.
Hear! Hear!
Thank you for your thoughts
on our education,
Your Royal Highness.
Cambridge has produced
the greatest minds in the world
for over 600 years
from a curriculum based
in theology
and the lessons of the past.
Are you, for example,
suggesting that we teach the
heretical work of Charles Lyell,
who believes that the world
was not created in seven days?
Hear! Hear!
Foreigners.
It is bought in by foreigners.
The first case recorded
was in a seamen's hostel
in Limehouse.
Nonsense.
The toxic miasma
should abate soon,
and now that Covent Garden
has been closed.
The only cure is for people
to maintain their composure.
Are we safe here
in the palace?
Here, you are
quite protected, ma'am.
The air is clean and safe
around the palace.
But outside,
the danger of encountering
the miasma
is too great.
Are you proposing to put me
in quarantine?
As your prime minister,
I urge you
to remain here until contagion
has passed, ma'am.
And what example
does it set to my people
if I'm hiding here
in the palace?
You don't have to be seen,
ma'am.
You could announce
a national day of penance,
perhaps a day of fast.
Would that would raise
the spirits of my people?
No.
Dr. Snow?
Do you have another theory
about how the disease
is spread?
I s-s...
Yes?
Without proof,
I cannot offer you an answer,
and as I... have no proof,
I have no answer,
Y-your Majesty.
Russell has been most
unhelpful.
I have heard the reports
from Parliament
and I do not wish
to stand idle.
I should like you to organize
a visit to the hospital.
I'm your foreign secretary,
ma'am.
May I suggest you contact
the commissioner
for the Board of Health.
And he will hem and haw
and talk about
the danger of infection.
You, on the other hand,
you've never met a rule
you didn't want to break.
You sound like my wife, ma'am.
But don't you worry
about catching it?
Lord Palmerston,
if one of my children were ill,
I would not hesitate
to go into the sickroom.
I understand-- I'll make
the necessary arrangements.
Although I imagine
those woolgatherers
at the Board of Health
will have a
conniption fit.
Not if we don't tell them.
Your Grace.
From the duke.
Can you, uh,
order my carriage?
I have been summoned.
I hope you will be
careful.
Surely your husband
would rather you remained
in the palace
until the contagion has passed.
I cannot refuse him.
In this circumstance,
you should not be afraid to.
Shall I let him know that
you are to remain at the palace?
If he's not at home,
he will be at his club.
Exactly.
I make two kinds of tonic
for women in your condition.
This one
works a treat
for ladies who are happy
to welcome a little stranger.
And, um, I have this one...
...for those who aren't.
Do you want a surprise?
Depends.
Is it a good one?
Yes.
But you'll have to be patient.
Why?
Because you'll have to wait
nine months.
Yes?Yes.
You also want
some entertainment.
What we've been craving.
Your Grace,
I have a message for you.
I'm sorry,
I didn't quite catch that.
A message, Your Grace.
It's almost as though he's
speaking a different language.
Her Grace would like
to inform you
that she has decided
to remain at the palace.
You can remind the duchess
that as it was a command,
I did not expect a reply.
She must leave immediately.
Are you sure you want to do
this, ma'am?
It's not a matter of want.
It's a matter of duty.
Excuse me, miss.
Help me, sir.
Just straight ahead, ma'am.
This way.
It's a cruel disease, ma'am.
What's that noise?
I found her on the floor
of the Parthenon in Athens.
She had fallen from her nest.
And I've had her with me
ever since.
Aren't you worried
she'll bite you?
No, she never has yet.
Just as I've never caught
anything from my patients.
So you don't believe
in the miasma theory?
If it was in the air,
I would be dead by now, ma'am.
What do you think causes it?
All I know is that it is
a disease that follows poverty,
and dirt.
There must be...
God, there must be
something I can do.
A subscription.
Blankets.
The medical board have theories.
Fairy tales.
There's only one doctor
who comes to visit.
A quiet man with a stammer.
I hope he will put an end to it.
Thank you.
What is your name?
Florence Nightingale, ma'am.
The work of Lyell
is most intriguing.
If the fossils do indeed
date from different periods,
then there is no basis...
Sir, I...
I thought you should know,
the gentleman, Powis,
who made his...
preferences
so clear at dinner
has decided to stand
against you.
Has this ever
happened before?
No, but then they have never
been faced with the prospect
of a foreign chancellor,
and a German one at that.
Thank you.
Mama! Mama!
Mama!
Darling!
Oh, come here, come here.We missed you.
What is it, Mama?
Is it my fault?
No, darling, I'm...
I'm just so happy to see you.
Aren't you happy to see me?
Come along.
Back inside.
Oh, Victoria.
My poor sister.
There was nothing I could do.
You're so hard
on yourself, hm?
Duchess, it's your turn.
Your Grace.
The duke has asked me
to inform you
he does not wholly agree
with your message.
I see.
I could let him know
that it is a royal command.
Thank you, I will deal
with the situation myself.
I wish to see him.
The young gentleman,
Yorkshireman.
Dr. Snow?
The fellow who could hardly
string a sentence together?
You should know
that he is seen
by the medical establishment
as an eccentric.
I hear he doesn't eat
meat.
Or fish.
If he can discover
the cause of this disease,
then his diet
is of no concern to me.
Please send for him immediately.
How long you been there
watching me?
Long enough.For what?
For you to finish so I won't
have to do any work.
That's why I married you.
Oh!
Oh, it's perfect.
Am I late?
The guest of honor is...
...never late, Mr. Brodie.Never late!
Take this off.Thank you.
Oh, hello.
Welcome.
Abigail!
Both hungry?
There is a lot to get through
before we open to the public
tomorrow.
How's life at the palace,
Mr. Brodie?
Well, the queen
isn't very happy
with her new dresser,
and she's been doing
her own hair.
You're not hitting
the bottle, are you?
Joseph?
I, uh...
I, I need some sealing wax.
Your Grace.
I am glad you are still
at the palace.
The queen is the only woman
he can't pull rank on.
You weren't at dinner.
It was very quiet.
Is my voice so loud?
When it's the only thing
I can hear.
I can hardly believe I'm here,
under my own roof,
with my beautiful wife
and... with...
a little Francatelli on the way?
Long live the house
of Francatelli!
Thank you.
I want to propose a toast.
To Charles Francatelli,
for not listening to me
when I said
this couldn't be done.
We may have left the palace,
but he is a king among men.
To good health.
If you'll excuse me
for just a moment.
Oh, that is delicious.Lovely speech.
Thank you.
Powis for chancellor!
Powis for chancellor!
Down with the German!
Lord Palmerston.
I did not know
you were in Cambridge.
I thought I'd make the trip
to brush up on my Ovid.
And as a graduate,
I've come to vote, of course.
The future of this university
is very important to me.
And to the nation.
What do you want?
You are still open,
despite the cholera.
What's it to you?
I have patients in this street.
Nothing wrong with my men.
How curious.
no women, no foreigners,
and all the beer you can drink.
Here, go on,
have one on the house.
No, thank you.
Suit yourself.
I reckon it's the best medicine
out there. Cheers!
He refused my invitation?RUSSELL:
As I said,
Dr. Snow is seen
as a maverick.
But what was his reason?
Apparently he hasn't found
the proof you needed, ma'am.
Proof or no proof,
I should like to speak with him.
Send for him again.
I went to church.
And then?
To my apothecary shop.
Where is that?
Soho.
Just off Broad Street.
And-and after work?
Mrs. Arbuthnot.
I need a few more answers.
You're the only case
outside Soho.
I visited my sister.
Is she sick?
No.
What route did you take home?
The usual.
Marshall Street.
Broad Street.
You can stop off
for fresh water at the pump.
For my tonics.
Here you are, my darling,
everything just as you like it.
Coddled eggs,
poor knights of Windsor,
and then more...What shall we call the baby?
Plenty of time
to decide that.
Victoria if it's a boy.
Albert if it's a girl.
No, that's not right.
Victoria...
if it's a girl.
Shh... Nancy.
Nancy.
What are you doing?
We have to get up
or Mr. Penge will find us.
Shh, shh, Nancy, Nancy.
We're not in the palace
anymore.
Stop using that pump!
Stop!
Please!
What are you doing?
Go on, get out of here!
The votes have been counted.
Votes for
the earl of Powis--
837.
Votes for
His Royal Highness
Prince Albert--
953.
Congratulations,
Your Royal Highness.
Thank you.
Although I'm sure
you will be pleased to hear
that I shall not be accepting
the chancellorship
under such circumstances.
Clearly
they do not want me.
Well then, my journey
will have been in vain.
You voted for me?
Yes, I surprised even myself.
I had what the dons might call
a Damascene conversion.
You have come around
to my way of thinking?
Only on the matter
of cholera, sir.
Congratulations, sir.
I...
I... wondered what...
We don't have all day.
Prime Minister,
perhaps you could leave
Dr. Snow and I to talk alone.
Please.
Make yourself comfortable.
Tea?
I th--
I thought that the, uh...
Please, let me.
That will be all.
Speaking in public
has always been of...
great difficulty to me.
The trick, I find, is...
is to pretend
I'm speaking to Islay.
Islay hangs on my every word.
Don't you, Islay?
You were saying?
I've been c-certain for a while.
It's not miasma,
not the air, but the water.
Bad water, ma'am.
Women and children are
more likely to drink water
and they have died
in greater numbers.
Men who work in the breweries
are unaffected
because they only drink beer.
But... then this...
case in Hampstead.
Only one woman in the village
had contracted it.
I discovered that she had
her water brought up
from a pump in Broad Street.
She even used it in the tonics
in her apothecary.
It is the pump
that is spreading the disease.
This evidence, I believe,
can finally stop the contagion.
Excuse me.
Sir, what was the name
of the woman
making the tonics?
Arbuthnot.
Your Royal Highness.
They are ready for you.
No.
Do something.
Do... something!
When did it start?
Early this morning.
I thought it was something
to do with the child.
Child?
Oh, dear Skerrett.
Do you want me to do your hair,
ma'am?
I've got my own palace now.
Yes, you have.
It's splendid.
Victoria...
...if it's a girl.
I couldn't dream
of a greater honor.
Charles!
The chancellor
of Cambridge University.
Congratulations, Albert.
It should have been a,
a formality,
but instead it was a...
...a humiliation.
But you won.
Just.
I should have listened
to Victoria.
It is not enough
to be right,
one also has to win over
the public.
Do you remember
when I first
told you my name?
That was when I knew.
So did I.
All that time,
we could have been together.
Just you wait.
All of this...
will be a marvelous success.
Not without you.
I should have married you
sooner.
It wasn't long...
But it meant everything.
Nancy?
Nan-- Nancy.
I know that I left
when you needed me most.
I...
I never opened her letter.
You could not have known.
But as much as I wanted
to remain by your side...
My heart took me
into my new life.
I hope you will accept my
future with Mr. Francatelli,
as you once accepted my past.
Abigail, whom you met,
I recommend to fill
my position.
Your obedient servant,
Mrs. Charles Francatelli.