QUEEN: WE WILL BEAT THIS TOGETHER
Monarch to use rare TV address tomorrow to boost Britain’s morale
THE Queen will issue a rallying cry to the nation tomorrow.
In her first televised address on the coronavirus crisis, she is expected to say: ‘We are in this together – and we will all get through it together, too’.
It is only the fifth time the 93-year-old monarch has made a broadcast outside Christmas.
She recorded the message at Windsor Castle, where she is living in isolation with her 98-year-old husband Philip. In other developments in the Covid-19 crisis:
The daily UK death toll rose again sharply to 684 and is predicted to peak next weekend;
Two nurses in their 30s fell victim
to the virus, each leaving behind three children;
A grim looking Boris Johnson urged Britons not to leave home to enjoy the expected Easter sunshine;
He has been forced to extend his selfisolation because of a high temperature;
Half a million care home residents face becoming ‘abandoned victims’;
Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland could be carrying out 10,000 tests a day by the end of the month with the help of private labs;
Scotland’s death toll soared by 46 to 172 yesterday, with total cases up 399 to 3,001.
The four other times the Queen has made a special address were for the Gulf War, the death of Princess Diana, the death of the Queen Mother and her diamond jubilee.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the content in advance of the broadcast tomorrow night at 8pm, but the Mail understands the Queen will emphasise togetherness, highlighting the nation’s cohesion in the face of adversity.
She is also likely to praise health workers and all those who have been helping in the fight against Covid-19.
There had been speculation about when the head of state would make a public statement about the unprecedented national lockdown. The Queen issued a written statement when she left London just over two weeks ago. Aides said the Government wanted to delay filming a broadcast because the pandemic was likely to worsen.
‘Her Majesty makes these television addresses very rarely so it’s important for her to choose the right moment to do so,’ a source said at the time.
‘As terrible as everything feels, we are only just in the early stages of this pandemic and the Queen has a very good sense of timing for these things to ensure that the most significant impact is felt. She will know the best time.’
The Prince of Wales, who yesterday opened the NHS Nightingale hospital in London, via videolink from Royal Deeside, offered his own message of hope earlier this week. In a video recorded after he came out of isolation following his own positive test for the disease, Charles said: ‘As a nation, we are faced by a profoundly challenging situation, which we are only too aware threatens the livelihoods, businesses and welfare of millions of our fellow citizens.’
The Prince has been joined by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as the ‘faces’ of the Royal Family’s task force for the pandemic. Kate and William have been calling hospitals and charities to offer support.
The Queen has been staying at Windsor Castle as a precaution.
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