Le cygne

[last lines]

Prince Albert: Your father used to call you his swan. At least I'm told. I think that's a good thing to remember. Think what it means to be a swan. To glide like a dream on the smooth surface of the lake and never go on the shore. On dry land, where ordinary people walk, the swan is awkward. Even ridiculous. When she waddles up the bank, she painfully resembles a different kind of bird, n'est-ce pas?

Princess Alexandra: A goose.

Prince Albert: I'm afraid so. So there she must stay. Out on the lake. Silent White. Majestic. Be a bird but never fly. Know one song but never sing it. Until the moment of her death. And so it must be for you, Alexandra. Head high. Cool indifference to the staring crowds along the bank. And the song - Never.

Princess Alexandra: Take me inside, Albert.

[Albert takes her hand, and they go inside the palace together]