Coronavirus: Queen to tell Brits to “take pride” in response to virus
THE Queen will call on her subjects to show resolve in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic in a historic televised address this evening.
She will say that in “very challenging” times, “I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge.
“And those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any. That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterise this country,” the monarch will add, according to multiple reports, invoking the blitz spirit as lockdown resolve begins to weaken.
It is only the fourth peacetime address from the Queen outside of her annual Christmas message. Previous interventions have thanked soldiers for their work in the first Gulf War and marked two Royal deaths.
The message will be broadcast at 8pm across the major TV networks, on radio and on the Royal Family’s social media channels.
The Sunday Times reports that ministers regard the Queen as the “trump card” in the fight to ensure Brits follow lockdown restrictions on what is expected to be a week of fine weather.
An anonymous source told the paper’s political editor Tim Shipman that “we are at the absolutely crucial time. We can’t afford to give up now.”