Millions have seen his infamous stammer and speech problems portrayed on screen - but a Norfolk man who was tasked with guarding the Royal family in the late 1930s and early 1940s has revealed all about the night he heard the 'King's Speech' first hand from the man himself.

Larry Lamb, 94, from Barton Turf near Stalham, has never disclosed before about the night in 1939, when he heard King George VI practising his Christmas speech, but says he was prompted to tell his story after going to see the latest blockbuster The King's Speech, pictured above, a couple of weeks ago.

The film explores how speech therapist Lionel Logue helped George VI, who took over as King in 1936 after his brother King Edward VIII abdicated, with his stammer.

Mr Lamb, who heard the King practising while he was on guard duty at Sandringham, said: 'I am not sure if it was a study or not, but it was a large room and, as I walked past. I could hear him speaking.

'I could hear it very clearly as his voice was slightly raised. He stuttered a bit, but in general he was making a good job of it.'

Mr Lamb, who has three children, 13 grandchildren, and is also a great-grandfather, was born and bred in Norfolk and grew up in Gorleston.