'Thanks Ma'am' says Britain

THE Queen's address to the nation on Sunday evening was watched by more than 23 million people.

Figures given to the PA news agency by the BBC suggest that the broadcast was watched by 14.1 million people on BBC One and 756,000 on the BBC News channel, with a further 5.3 million watching it on ITV, 2.5 million on Channel 4 and 615,000 on Channel Five.

The televised address was only the fourth of the Queen's 68-year reign during times of national crisis and grief.

It saw her tell how the coronavirus pandemic had brought back memories of wartime.

She said: "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.

"Today, once again, many will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones.

"But now, as then, we know, deep down, that it is the right thing to do."

Zara Tindall said she was "very proud" of her grandmother's efforts.

Appearing on Monday's Good Morning Britain from her home in Gloucestershire, she said: "Obviously, we're very proud and what she said is completely, 100% what the country needed.

"I hope everyone listens and we can try and get back to normal and, as we're trying to do today, support our NHS as much as we can."

Support

Figures from the worlds of politics and entertainment have united behind the Queen's message to "remain united and resolute" amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Queen's address to the nation on Sunday evening prompted a flurry of tweets about her sentiments.

"The Queen speaks for the whole country and our determination to defeat the coronavirus," new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted.

Trade Secretary Liz Truss described the message as "inspiring", while Nadine Dorries MP - who tested positive for Covid-19 earlier in March - said it was "perfect" and adding: "We really are all #InThisTogether."

Former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said the speech had surprised her.

"The Queen's own quiet resolution on how we will see the other side of this and 'meet again' was reassuring, I thought," she wrote.

"Didn't know I needed to hear that, but it turns out I did."

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan praised the Queen's recognition of front-line workers during the pandemic.

"Great to see our hardworking heroes, working flat-out on the frontline, front and centre of the #QueensSpeech," he wrote.

But it wasn't just the political sphere that reacted positively to the monarch's words.

"God I love Mrs Queen," Jeremy Clarkson tweeted.

Presenter and poker champion Victoria Coren Mitchell was enthusiastic, posting: "Hurray for the Queen! I thought that speech was terrific."

The message travelled overseas too, with Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness tweeting "Watching the queen's speech" alongside a wistful gif of himself.

In a rare televised address to the country and Commonwealth, the Queen sounded a positive note after what has been an unsettling period, saying: "We will succeed - and that success will belong to every one of us."

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