Coronavirus: Queen to make televised address to UK and the Commonwealth
The Queen has recorded a special message to the UK and the Commonwealth as the world continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
The broadcast will air at 8pm BST on Sunday evening.
A statement from Buckingham Palace said: “Her Majesty The Queen has recorded a special broadcast to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus outbreak.
“The address was recorded at Windsor Castle.”
The Queen and her husband Prince Philip have been at Windsor Castle for several weeks, where they usually spend Easter.
The Queen left London for her Berkshire home a week earlier than originally planned, and has postponed many of her engagements because of coronavirus.
At 93, she is classed as vulnerable by the government’s guidelines.
Her son, Prince Charles, opened the NHS Nightingale field hospital in East London on Friday, via videolink from his home in Scotland.
The heir to the throne, who at 71 is also in the government’s vulnerable category, tested positive for COVID-19 after falling ill over the weekend of 21-22 March.
He is now out of self-isolation, but his wife Camilla has remained in isolation to ensure she is free of the disease. Her test was negative.
Apart from the Queen’s annual Christmas message, it is rare to see her make a televised speech.
She has made four others during her time as monarch - in 1991 on the Gulf War, in 1997 after the death of Princess Diana, and in 2002 ahead of the Queen Mother’s funeral. She also made a brief address for her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.
The government in 1983 prepared a speech for her to give should Britain have faced annihilation at the hands of a nuclear-armed Soviet Union. It was never recorded.
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Since the outbreak of the coronavirus in the UK, her grandson Prince William was the first royal to make a video address. He gave his support to the National Emergencies Trust (NET) who will raise money for organisations helping to tackle the disease.
William and his wife Kate have also been making calls to NHS staff including the colleagues of Amged El-Hawrani who was the first medic to die after contracting COVID-19.
They told staff at Queen’s Hospital, Burton “the whole country is proud of you” in a call which medics said helped boost their spirits.
Prince Charles made a video address earlier this week after coming out of self-isolation, urging people to be kind, and praising NHS staff as well as supermarket workers, for keeping the country going.
In a speech as he opened the NHS Nightingale field hospital on Friday he spoke about his own experience with coronavirus, saying he only had a mild case, but acknowledging that many would have it more seriously.
Read more: Coronavirus: William and Kate tell NHS 'the whole country is proud of you'
The Queen has already released a statement on coronavirus. As she and her husband arrived at Windsor Castle about two weeks ago, she said: “At times such as these, I am reminded that our nation’s history has been forged by people and communities coming together to work as one, concentrating our combined efforts with a focus on the common goal.
“We are enormously thankful for the expertise and commitment of our scientists, medical practitioners and emergency and public services; but now more than any time in our recent past, we all have a vitally important part to play as individuals – today and in the coming days, weeks and months.
“Many of us will need to find new ways of staying in touch with each other and making sure that loved ones are safe. I am certain we are up to that challenge. You can be assured that my family and I stand ready to play our part.”
The Queen had been reported to be stood ready to make an address to the nation when her government asked her to.
