Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday offered reassurance to the British public and called for unity in a rare televised speech.
The broadcast came hours after officials said the death toll in the United Kingdom from the virus had risen by 621 in the last 24 hours to 4,934 with high fatalities still expected in the next week.
As a result of the coronavirus outbreak, UK authorities had warn people to stay at home, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to the hospital for tests, after days of coronavirus symptoms. Johnson tested positive for the virus on March 27.
The Queen said: “Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it,” she said. ” I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge.”
She thanked those who were staying at home, thereby helping to spare others from suffering the grief already felt by some families.
She also paid tribute to healthcare staff for their selfless work and commended the “heart-warming” stories of people across the Commonwealth, of which she is head, and beyond for delivering food and medicines to those who needed them.
It is extremely rare for the Queen to address the nation like this. She typically only speaks to the country during an annual televised Christmas message and when a new parliament is installed.
She’s only held these types of emergency national addresses a handful of times in history — one time during World War Two, which she alluded to during her speech on Sunday.
“It reminds me of the very first broadcast I made, in 1940, helped by my sister. We, as children, spoke from here at Windsor to children who had been evacuated from their homes and sent away for their own safety,” the Queen said, adding “today, once again, many will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones.”
The Queen, 93, concluded by again calling for unity saying, “we will succeed.”
In order to ensure any risk to the elderly monarch herself was avoided, the broadcast was filmed in a big room to ensure a safe distance between her and the cameraman, who wore gloves and a mask and was the only other person present.
