Bartlett Mike - King Charles III

Mike Bartlett

KING CHARLES III

NICK HERN BOOKS
London
www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

King Charles III was first performed at the Almeida Theatre, London, on 3 April 2014. The cast was as follows:

Thanks

Thanks to Tom Dingle and the Jersey Arts Trust, Jonny Donahoe, Rupert Goold, James Grieve, Headlong, Robert Icke, Clare Lizzimore, George Perrin, Ben Power and Tom Scutt.

M.B.

For Samuel

Characters

KING CHARLES III
CAMILLA
WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE
CATHERINE (KATE), DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE
HARRY
JAMES REISS
MR EVANS, Prime Minister
SPENCER
COOTSY
JESS
MR STEVENS, Leader of the Opposition
GHOST
SARAH
NICK
CLIVE
SERVANT
PAUL
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
FREE-NEWSPAPER WOMAN
TERRY
SIR GORDON
BUTLER
SIR MICHAEL
TELEVISION PRODUCER
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

And CLUBBERS, ATTENDANTS, MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, COMMUTERS, PROTESTERS, MEMBERS OF THE PRESS

Note on Text

( ) means the next line interrupts.

() at the end of a speech means it trails off. On its own it indicates a pressure, expectation or desire to speak.

A line with no full stop at the end indicates that the next speech follows on immediately.

This ebook was created before the end of rehearsals and so may differ slightly from the play as performed.

Prologue

A choir sings.

The funeral procession of Queen Elizabeth II goes past.

ACT ONE

1.1

Enter CAMILLA, and KING CHARLES III.

CAMILLA.
My wondrous Charles you looked composed throughout
You did her proud, for as she would have liked
You never showed your pain, but stood instead
A virtuous man of dignity and grace.
Immovable, inscrutable as stone.

CHARLES.
Please dont. Its simply what I had to do.
Well find no dignity in covring up
The way we feel. What son should, standing
Waiting at his mothers grave, stop his tears?
What lurks within the public mind that needs
Us less than human, made of tin. All stiff
And empty. Soulless, unemotive droids.

CAMILLA.
Droids? Are you alright?

CHARLES.
My whole existence has like most of us
Been built upon the ones who gave me birth.
And now theyre gone. Thats it. First Dad. Now Mum.
The only truth: I am alone.

CAMILLA.
Except for me.

CHARLES.
Its not the same, Camilla. The love, with us,
Its all my life, but never can replace
Parental word, a mothers hand to hold.
But here the others back to statue
Its Catherine, William, complete with George.

Enter WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE holding
George, and CATHERINE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE.

Hello! Youre radiant, despite the grave
Restrictions of the mourning dress. It is
Your gift my dear, its what youve brought to us
A sense of fashion, better hair as well
That is, if, like myself, youve any left.

WILLIAM.
So even on a day like this youll make
A joke about my ever-balding head.

CHARLES.
A day like this indeed, my son youll learn
When darkness strikes, a little humour helps

KATE.
I never thought Id see her pass away

CHARLES.
I felt the same.

WILLIAM.
How are you Dad?

CHARLES.

WILLIAM.
It must be hard to deal with loss combined
With gain. For soon, at last, you will be King

CAMILLA.
Not soon.

WILLIAM.
Three months

CAMILLA.
Your father rules today.

KATE.
I thought the coronation marked the change

CHARLES.
Youre right, officially that is the case

CAMILLA.
But England, Scotland, Northern Ireland
They cannot stand without a king or queen
For all the months it takes to organise
A coronation

WILLIAM.
Wales.

CAMILLA.
Wales what?

WILLIAM.
Wales too.

You missed it out.

CAMILLA.
Then Wales. As well. And Wales!

KATE.
But surely constitutionally speaking

CAMILLA.
Oh sweet my dear we have no constitution
Instead Tradition holds us to account.
And better held we are by one who bends
And changes, flexing to the way we live,
Than like Americans, who stuck with words
And laws composed by good, well-meaning men,
That wanted best, but could have no idea
Of how we live today, do have a right
To carry arms, then shoot themselves to bits.

KATE.
Tradition then, it still

CAMILLA.
Tradition holds that on the death of kings
Or queens, the next is monarch straight away.
He needs no proclamation, needs no man
To shout The Queen is dead, long live the King.
Your father ruled the moment Granny passed.

KATE.
So coronation day itself is just
The ancient costumes worn, and lines to learn,
A slice of theatre, thats played for fun?

CHARLES.
Not fun I think, for me, I hate those things.

HARRY enters.

CAMILLA.
Harry! Its such a joy to have you home.
Even in such morbid circumstance as this.

HARRY.
I might head off. If thats okay? I know theres this thing, but Im tired.

CHARLES.
You want to go? Of course, well say youre ill, if thats

HARRY.
Yeah right, thats it, I dont feel well. Yeah.

CAMILLA.
Why? Whats the matter?

HARRY.
Er Headache? But that was all good wasnt it? It went okay, from what I could see?

KATE.
Do you really have to go?

HARRY.
Its not I mean the whole Ive only been back a few days, cant deal with all the chat. The people. Its such a change from being out there.

CHARLES.
Its important Harry.

HARRY.
Yeah but the headache though.

They look at each other for a moment.

Then he goes.

CHARLES.
I thought one day, hed grow into a man,
But still he acts as if hes seventeen

CAMILLA.
Perhaps its true, the battles left behind
But still bombs crash and drum within his head

WILLIAM.
More like the sound is drum and bass his pain
Through last nights drink, than by the sorry war.
We should leave, and mingle with the crowds.
A single round should be sufficient, then
Were at the Palace, yes?

CAMILLA.
The Heads of State.

KATE.
Well stop at Kensington to put him down
And then return.

CHARLES.
He didnt cry.

WILLIAM.
He what?