The Queen’s Blitz spirit pledge: I’m ready to play my part
We must unite as we did in the past, says Queen in stirring statement
The Queen urged the nation to come together last night as it faces one of the greatest crises in its history.
The 93-year-old monarch made her first public reference to the coronavirus pandemic yesterday in a stirring, patriotic statement issued by Buckingham Palace.
She referenced other times of national peril such as the Second World War and the Blitz as she said that the nation’s history had been ‘forged by people and communities coming together to work as one’.
She also vowed that the Royal family ‘stand ready to play our part’ in whatever challenges the country faces over the coming weeks and months.
It came as she and her husband, the Duke of edinburgh, 98, were reunited at Windsor Castle yesterday where they will spend the next few weeks – or months – in self-isolation together.
The Queen’s uniquely personal statement last night expressed thanks for the herculean efforts of the science, medial and emergency services, but stressed that the public also had a crucial part to play in pulling together, saying: ‘Many of us will need to find new ways of staying in touch with each other and making sure that loved ones are safe.’
Like families across Britain, the Queen is unlikely to be able to see many of her nearest and dearest for weeks, if not months.
Prince Charles and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall, aged 71 and 72 respectively, are self-isolating at highgrove, the prince’s Gloucestershire home.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children are likely to move to Anmer hall, their Norfolk residence, after schools close on Friday. harry and Meghan are in Canada with son Archie and it is not clear when they will be able to return to the UK.
In recent days there have been growing calls for the Queen to make a rare televised address in light of the national crisis.
Royal insiders have confirmed that it is likely to be a case of ‘when, not if’ but cautioned against it happening too soon. ‘her Majesty makes these addresses very rarely so it’s important for her to choose the right moment to do so,’ one insider said.
The Queen was seen leaving Buckingham Palace yesterday with her faithful dorgi (a corgi/daschund cross) Candy on her lap before making the 50-minute journey out of the capital to Windsor. There she was joined by Prince Philip who was helicoptered down from their Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
After initially insisting she would stay in London to meet her commitments, the monarch bowed to the inevitable and relocated a week earlier than planned for her spring break – known as easter Court.
It is likely that she will stay there for the foreseeable future – with a reduced staff around her – until the pandemic is under control.
Royal commentators suggested that if the Queen and her heir Prince Charles are both unable to conduct official duties, Prince William could step in to cover their commitments.
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‘Stand ready to play our part’