Kingsman (Agency)

"Since 1849, Kingsman tailors have clothed the world's most powerful individuals. By 1919, a great number of them had lost their heirs to World War One. That meant a lot of money going uninherited. And a lot of powerful men with a desire to preserve peace and protect life. Our founders realized that they could channel that wealth and influence... for the greater good. And so began our other venture. An independent, international intelligence agency... operating at the highest level of discretion. Above the politics and bureaucracy... that undermine the integrity of government-run spy organizations. The suit is a modern gentleman's armor. And the Kingsman agents are the new knights."

― Harry Hart to Gary Unwin

Kingsman (Agency)
Information
Location	United Kingdom
Function	Independent Intelligence/Espionage Agency
Established	1919
Front	Kingsman Tailors Kingsman Scotch
Status	Active
Leader(s)	The Duke of Oxford † (Original leader) Chester King † Sir Giles † Harry Hart (Current)
Members	World War I era: Orlando Oxford Polly Wilkins Shola Conrad Oxford †(temporary) King George V Archie Reid Bedivere Winston Churchill Modern Era: Chester King † Harry Hart Haymish Mycroft † Percival † Lee Unwin † James Spencer † Roxanne Morton † Gary "Eggsy" Unwin Sir Giles † Agent Tequila
Appearances
Film	The King's Man Kingsman: The Secret Service Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Kingsman is a primary protagonist faction of the Kingsman film series. It is a top-secret, independent intelligence and espionage agency based in the United Kingdom, dedicated to upholding peace and protecting the world from terrorists and other major threats. To the public, it is simply a highly respected, classical chain of tailor shops; after the events of The Golden Circle, Kingsman expands its front business to include a chain of single-malt scotch distilleries in Scotland with resources gifted to them by their brethren in Statesman as part of the rebuilding effort. Kingsman agents are given code-names drawn from Arthurian legend; chiefly the Knights of the Round Table and are almost always dressed in impeccable bullet-proof Bespoke suits complete with high-tech glasses.

History

Inspiration

"Do you remember why King Arthur and his knights had a round table? Because it meant that all men were equal. It's important that people born into privilege lead by example. That's why your father and I are patrons of the Red Cross. Helping others, not hiding behind our status. Never forget that."

― Emily Oxford to Conrad Oxford

The genesis of Kingsman came about in the early 1900s, though it wasn't officially established as an organization until 1919. It was the brainchild of Orlando, the Duke of Oxford who, after losing his wife in the Second Boer War, became disillusioned with politicians and established military leaders and the way in which they dealt with domestic and international threats and injustice. Orlando decided to channel his enormous wealth and influence into combating these threats himself, and to that end, he recruited two members of his staff to aid him in his endeavours; his personal maid Polly Wilkins and his African aide-de-camp Shola. Through Wilkins, Orlando was able to forge a vast network of contacts among the serving staff of numerous aristocrats, politicians, diplomats and world leaders across Europe, supplying him with information. Shola meanwhile trained Orlando in hand-to-hand combat, various forms of weaponry, and provided him with state-of-the-art technology. Eventually, Orlando was compelled to also include his son Conrad in his operations as a compromise over not allowing the boy to enlist in the British army.

The embryonic Kingsman soon became swept up in a shadow war against The Flock, a clandestine group of powerful and highly-placed individuals lead by a mysterious leader known only as The Shepherd, while at the same time doing everything they could to prevent World War One from consuming Europe. The Flock, seeking to turn the British, Russian and German Empires against each other, carried out a number of sabotage and misleading operations, including assassinating Archduke Ferdinand, sponsoring the rise of Vladimir Lenin in Russia and leaking the Zimmerman Telegram. Orlando and his compatriots successfully tracked down and killed or captured most of The Flock, though they were devastated when Conrad was killed on the Western Front after lying about his identity and is mistaken for a German spy. Undeterred, Orlando, Shola and Polly tracked The Shepherd to his mountainous stronghold and discovered his true identity; Max Morton, the former aide-de-camp to Orlando's friend Herbert Kitchener, the Secretary of State for War whom The Flock had previously assassinated. Morton and his remaining men were killed in the ensuing melee and his operation was dismantled.

Founding

"All of us here today are united, sadly, in losing our sons and friends in this terrible war. What happened to this generation of young men must never happen again. I believe the terms of Versailles are too onerous, too extreme, and could precipitate another war. What the world needs is an organization that can channel its resources towards preserving peace and protecting life. An independent intelligence agency operating at the highest level of discretion, above the politics and bureaucracy of government-run spy organizations. To that end, I have acquired this shop. And I propose that we become the founding members of the Kingsman agency."

― Orlando Oxford

In the aftermath, Orlando decided to officially establish his own private intelligence agency, with himself as its leader and an updated roster of members, including Shola, Polly, King George V, Archie Reid, and the United States Ambassador. As a tribute to his son, Orlando takes the code-name "Arthur" and gives his new agents code-names drawn from the Knights of the Round Table; Shola meanwhile, is given the special code-name "Merlin". To cover their activities and disguise their true purpose, Orlando purchased controlling interest in the Kingsman Tailors company and repurposed its London branch as their primary meeting place.

By the time World War One came to an end in 1918, many more wealthy and powerful men had, like Orlando, lost their heirs to the conflict. Orlando approached many of them in secret to offer them the chance to make a difference in the world by joining and/or patronising the burgeoning Kingsman agency; many of them accepted and added their considerable resources to the agency, further boosting its reach and scope. As time went on, Kingsman grew larger and larger until its operations spanned the entire globe and it boasted a military arsenal greater than many nations.

Modern-Era

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self"

― Galahad

By the turn of the new millennium, Kingsman was a well-established but still unknown force in global affairs.

Structure

The Kingsman Agency structure is relatively straightforward. The agency is lead by an elder/retired Kingsman agent who goes by the code-name "Arthur" in reference to King Arthur. This individual is responsible for assigning agents to missions, leading agency meetings and overseeing the business side of their operations. There are never more than nine active Kingsman agents at any given time; each one is given a code-name relating to one of the classic Knights of the Round Table such as Lancelot or Galahad. Meetings are held in the Kingsman tailor shop in London, though members can choose to attend either in person, or holographically via their high-tech glasses. The agents are supported in the field by an individual known by the code-name "Merlin" in reference to Merlin the Wizard, who oversees the agency support staff, formulates field strategies, trains prospective recruits and provides technological/IT assistance as necessary.

When a Kingsman agent dies in the field, they are first toasted by their comrades with a special 1815 Napoleonic brandy passed down to them by the agency founders. Each agent is then instructed to find a candidate for the vacant seat and present them to Merlin for training and assessment. The training, bizarre and brutal in equal measure, weeds out the unsuitable candidates and in the end only one is left standing and is given the code-name once held by their predecessor. To date, Gary "Eggsy" Unwin is the only Kingsman agent who gained his seat by succeeding his mentor Harry Hart after Harry was allegedly killed by Richmond Valentine. Kingsman agents are otherwise free to retire from the agency at any point but are expected to keep its secrets for life.

The agency owns and operates numerous safe-houses and bases across the United Kingdom and have at least one base in almost every capital city in the world though it is unclear if they are all permanently occupied. These bases are shown to contain vast arsenals of weapons, combat vehicles and even aircraft.

The Kingsman Tailors is the front-business the agency uses to hide itself and provide it with a stready revenue stream. In The Golden Circle, these tailor shops are wiped out by Poppy Adams and their business stance is left unclear. By the end however, it is shown that the agency's tailor business has been restored and is back to full operation again. At the same time, the agency gains an additional new front-business, in the form of several scotch distilleries purchased for them as a gift from their friends in Statesman to help Kingsman rebuild itself; Kingsman Single-Malt Scotch soon becomes a major brand in the alcohol market.

Membership

These are members of the Kingsman Agency mentioned or seen throughout the Kingsman film series.

• Arthur
  • Orlando Oxford †
  • Chester King †
  • Giles †
  • Harry Hart
• Galahad
  • Polly Wilkins †
  • Harry Hart (former)
  • Gary Unwin
• Lancelot
  • Archie Reid †
  • James Spencer †
  • Roxanne Morton †
  • Unnamed successor
• Merlin
  • Shola †
  • Hamish Mycroft †
  • Unnamed successor
• Bedivere
  • United States Ambassador †
  • Unnamed successors
• Percival
  • George V †
  • "Percival" †
  • Unnamed successor
• Gawain
  • Unnamed agent †
  • Unnamed successor
• Tristan
  • Unnamed agent †
  • Unnamed successor
• Lamorak
  • Unnamed agent †
  • Unnamed successor

Looking at other agents via glasses

• Others
  • Winston Churchill
  • Tequila
• Kingsman Candidates
  • Lee Unwin †
  • Charlie Hesketh †
  • Rufus Saville
  • Hugo Higgins
  • Digby Barker

Trivia

• According to "The Gentleman's Guide" on the film's official website, "The Rules" of a Kingsman Gentleman are as follows:

1. A gentleman never tells about conquests, private matters, or dealings. His business is nobody else's.
2. A gentleman doesn't clash in public with enemies or exes, or worse, with out-of-fashion contrasts, colours, or styles.
3. A gentleman is always happy to serve, whether it's opening the door, picking up the bill, or merely calling a taxi the next morning. Ask him for help and he cannot refuse.
4. A gentleman never reacts to rudeness. He pretends he doesn't recognise it and moves on like it never happened, because it never should have.
5. A gentleman is always on target with witty remarks, interesting facts, and conversation starters that bring the best out of everyone.
6. A gentleman asks non-invasive questions to keep a conversation going and attention focused on others. He makes them feel like the most interesting person he's ever met, whether that's true or not.

• Though a gentleman traditionally wears a signet ring on his left hand, a Kingsman agent wears one on whichever hand happens to be dominant.
• Kingsman equipment and weapons are often disguised to look like items typically sold in tailor shops or haberdasheries such as briefcases, umbrellas, bottles of cologne, cigar lighters and wrist-watches.
• Kingsman suits are made of bulletproof material.
• To date, only 5 Kingsman agents have been named on-screen; Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Galahad and Percival.
• According to Agent Whiskey (formerly Ginger Ale), the founder of Statesman was a Kingsman client; it is heavily implied that said founder got the inspiration for Statesman from Kingsman.
• The Kingsman Doomsday Protocol is a vintage bottle of bourbon whiskey kept in a locked safe at Berry Bros & Rudd Wine Merchants; the bottle has the Kingsman logo on it replacing the K in the words “Distilled In Kentucky” as a clue, directing the surviving Kingsman agent(s) to make contact with Statesman.