LONDON (UK) – Queen Elizabeth ended her address to the British people on Sunday saying that they would overcome the coronavirus pandemic provided they remained resolute in the face of lockdown and self-isolation.
Her address invoked the spirit of World War Two in a rare broadcast to the nation, is only the fifth televised address in her reign of 68 years.
93-year-old Queen Elizabeth called upon Britons to show the resolve of their forbears and to show that they were as strong as past generations.
“We will meet again. 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.
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 of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed – and that success will belong to every one of us.”
– Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth thanked those staying at home, helping by sparing others from suffering the grief already felt by some. She also acknowledged self-isolation could be hard.
She paid tribute to health care staff for their work and commended the stories of people across the Commonwealth for delivering food and medicines to those who needed them.
The Sunday address was extremely rare as the queen only speaks to the nation in her annual televised Christmas Day message.
The address was filmed in a big room to ensure a safe distance between her and the cameraman, wearing gloves and a mask.
The situation reminded Queen Elizabeth of her first-ever broadcast in 1940 when her late sister Margaret and she spoke from Windsor to those children evacuated from their homes to escape Nazi German aircraft bombing raids.
“Today, once again, many will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones. But now, as then, we know, deep down, that it is the right thing to do. Those who come after us will say the Britons of this generation were as strong as any. That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterise this country.”
– Queen Elizabeth
“We’ll Meet Again,” the conclusion to her speech is a song by Vera Lynn from World War Two which went on to become a symbol of hope for Britons during the conflict.
“We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return,. We will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.”
– Queen Elizabeth
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.