chunk: In 1876, Prince Leopold Mountbatten, Duke of Albany (Hugh Jackman), is a stifled dreamer. His strict uncle Millard (Paxton Whitehead) has no patience for his disrespect for the monarchy, chastising him and telling him he must marry a rich American, as the Mountbatten family finances are depleted. After his uncle told him that on his "thirtieth birthday he had become a blemish to the family name", Leopold counters that the new nobility is to be found in those who pursue initiatives, hence his interest in the sciences.