THE QUEEN has urged the nation to remain “united and resolute” as it seeks to overcome the coronavirus.
She made the comments as part of a rare address to the nation, broadcast on all major television channels at 8pm on Sunday, April 5.
Speaking from Windsor Castle, Her Majesty took time to thank and praise “everyone on the NHS frontline, as well as care workers and those carrying out essential roles, who selflessly continue their day-today duties outside the home, in support of us all”.
“What you do is appreciated,” she added. “Every hour of your hard work, brings us closer to the return to more normal times.”
Her Majesty also thanked the nation for staying at home, protecting the vulnerable.
“Together we are tackling this disease,” she said.
She also made reference to a broadcast she made in 1940, when she was Princess Elizabeth, speaking to reassure children who had been evacuated during the Second World War.
“The pride in who we are in not a part of our past,” she said. “It defines present and future moments where the United Kingdom has come together.
“I want to reassure you that if we all remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it.”
Her Majesty highlighted the pictures of rainbows that children have been placing in the windows of their homes and the minutes of applause that tank the NHS. And she also praised the efforts of people, such as the team behind the Wokingham Community Hub, who are volunteering to help others, “be it through delivering food parcels and medicines, checking on neighbours, or converting businesses to help the relief effort.”
The pain that separated families are currently feeling – something that Her Majesty is experiencing as Prince Charles has been diagnosed with coronavirus.
“We know deep down that it is the right thing to do,” she said. “While we have faced challenges before, this one is different: This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour.
“Using the great advances in science, and our instinctive compassion to heal, we will succeed. And that success will belong to every one of us.”
Her Majesty promised: “Better days will return. We will be with our friends again. We will be with our families again.
“We will meet again.”