QUEEN RALLIES NATION IN HOUR OF NEED
THE Queen will make a rare and historic speech tomorrow, calling for the British people to unite and beat the coronavirus.
It will mark just the fourth time in her 67-year reign that she has delivered a special televised message.
The speech comes at
the start of what could be one of the darkest weeks in the country’s history, with the death toll expected to rise towards 1,000 a day.
Aside from her traditional Christmas Day address, Her Majesty has only spoken directly to the nation during times of national mourning or war.
She made televised speeches ahead of the Queen Mother’s funeral in 2002, after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997 and during the GulfWar in 1991.
But the scale of the coronavirus national emergency is now so great she will speak to the nation at 8pm tomorrow.
Her defiant broadcast comes after another 684 people died yesterday – the biggest single daily increase, bringing the total number of UK deaths to 3,605.
A source said the Queen’s speech would be a “deeply personal” address in which she calls for us all to unite in hope.
The monarch is expected to say that the epidemic represents a challenge the scale of which has never been seen before.
She will appeal for Britain to stand together to defeat the virus.
The Queen, 93, will also applaud the extraordinary devotion to duty of the hundreds of thousands of frontline NHS and emergency staff, who are working around the clock to treat the sick.
She is also likely to reiterate the message sent out by Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday, urging Britons to stay inside this weekend and resist the temptation to venture out into the sunshine.
Her speech will be delivered after the tragic news yesterday that two frontline nurses – both mothers of three – had died after testing positive for coronavirus.
Reassurance
Dickie Arbiter, her former press secretary, said: “It will simply be a message to unite in these difficult times. That is what she is there for.
“There will be reference to the NHS, carers, to the communities all pulling together, and praise for the people who are on the front line serving.
“And there will be sympathy for people who have sadly lost loved ones.”
The Queen relocated from Buckingham Palace last month and remains with Prince Philip at Windsor Castle, where the historic message was recorded.
Both the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh remain in “good health”, according to palace sources.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “Her Majesty has recorded a special broadcast to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in relation to the coronavirus outbreak.”
A Number 10 source said: “There is no one more experienced than Her Majesty, and she will know exactly the right moment to address the country.
“Sadly, there are some very difficult times ahead.The country is going to be hurting.
“The voice of the Queen will provide calm reassurance that, ultimately, we will get through this.”
Prince Charles has been one of 38,168 people to test positive for coronavirus. He placed himself in isolation for a week at his Birkhall Scottish estate, but recovered and yesterday helped open the 4,000-bed NHS Nightingale Hospital in London’s Docklands. Expectation has been growing for weeks that the Queen would make a public statement about a worsening crisis that has seen Britain placed on a lockdown not witnessed since the Second World War.
Meanwhile, Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to the United Kingdom, said it was “an honour to witness the British people heroically pulling together against the coronavirus pandemic”. In an open letter to them, he hailed the NHS as “an inspiration” and added: “We are grateful to them and the countless others serving on the front lines and behind the scenes to turn the tide against Covid-19.
“The US and UK are leading international efforts to track the disease, slow the contagion, and save lives until a vaccine is found.
“Our governments are partnering with each other and businesses to share the latest science, approve new medical treatments, and produce faster and more reliable tests to help map, trap and stop the virus.”