Queen Elizabeth told the British people on Sunday that they would overcome the coronavirus outbreak if they stayed resolute in the face of lockdown and self-isolation, invoking the spirit of the Second World War in an extremely rare broadcast to the nation.
In a rare message to the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth addressed the COVID-19 pandemic. “I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge,” she said. 4:24
Queen Elizabeth told the British people on Sunday that they would overcome the coronavirus outbreak if they stayed resolute in the face of lockdown and self-isolation, invoking the spirit of the Second World War in an extremely rare broadcast to the nation.
In what was only the fifth televised address of her 68-year reign outside her usual annual Christmas Day speech, Elizabeth called upon Britons to show the resolve of their forebears and demonstrate they were as strong as generations of the past.
“We will meet again,” she pointedly said in a direct reference to the most famous British song from the war years of the 1940s, when she was a teenager. “Better days will return.”
“Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it,” the 93-year-old monarch said in the address from her Windsor Castle home where she is staying with her husband Prince Philip, 98.
“While we have faced challenges before, this one is different. This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavor, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed — and that success will belong to every one of us.”
‘I know that Canadians will remain optimistic’
Gov. Gen. Julie Payette shared a statement from the Queen to Canadians after the address.
“As the people of Canada experience profound and rapid changes to their lives, we are all concerned about the future. It may be difficult to remain hopeful when faced with loss and uncertainty, but Canadians have many reasons for optimism, even in the most trying times,” the Queen said in the statement.
“I know that Canadians will remain optimistic and will rise to the challenges ahead. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Canada at this time.”
In comments of her own, Payette thanked the Queen for her leadership.
“In these most difficult times, it is absolutely essential to stay the course, to not get discouraged, and to continue to do our part,” she said.
“It is important to hold fast to news that gives us hope and to the lifelines that are all around us: the people who have recovered, the stories of mutual aid and solidarity from every part of Canada, the steadfastness of our public officers, the courage and dedication of our health care professionals, our collective resilience.”
The Queen’s broadcast came hours after officials said the death toll in Britain from the virus had risen by 621 in the last 24 hours to 4,934 with high fatalities still expected in the next week.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is among those in self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, and the queen’s own son and heir