Queen Elizabeth’s speech to the nation will be broadcasted tonight. In her extremely rare address to the Britons, the monarch will call on citizens to stay at home.
For the Queen, which is the longest-reigned monarch of the planet, Sunday address will only be her fifth special televised message to the country during her 68 years on the throne. At 20:00, Elizabeth II will ask Britons to stay at home and will also thank healthcare staff on the front line.
“That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterise this country,” the Queen will say.
Earlier this week, the throne heir Prince Charles, came out of self-isolation himself after seven days following a positive test. On Saturday, the Cabinet confirmed the death toll of those who had tested positive for the virus rose by 708 in 24 hours to 4,313.
Health officials have cautioned that high fatalities were expected for at least another week or two even if people complied with strict isolation measures.
“I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge. And those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any,” the 93-year-old monarch will say, according to extracts released by Buckingham Palace.
Like many countries in Europe, Britain is in a state of virtual lockdown, and that is a real challenge for the nation.
Queen’s address to the nation will be deeply personal and encouraging
Sunday’s address, which will be aired at 20:00, was recorded at Windsor Castle where Elizabeth II is staying with her husband Prince Philip.
“I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time,” Elizabeth will say in what has been framed as a deeply personal message.
“A time of disruption in the life of our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all.”
The queen usually only broadcasts to the nation with her annual televised Christmas Day message and this special address will be only the fifth she has made.
She also gave an address at the start of the Gulf War in 1991, and most famously, delivered a sombre live broadcast after the death of her daughter-in-law Princess Diana in a Paris car crash in 1997 amid a national outpouring of grief and criticism of the royal family’s response.
When is the Queen’s speech?
Sunday April 5, beginning at 8 pm BST.
