Queen Elizabeth Reassures the Public With a "Deeply Personal" Speech About the Coronavirus
When an image of the Queen in the Windsor Castle White Drawing Room appeared on our screens at 8 p.m. this evening, it was, in so many ways, a familiar sight. The room (the setting for a number of Christmas speeches), her hairstyle, her bright outfit; everything looked exactly as it would if life were normal.
But if you were a fly on the wall in the castle last week when the broadcast was recorded, you would have noticed that the camera man was wearing a mask and gloves and no one else was in the room. He kept his distance, and a skeleton crew of technical staff worked next door. Because these are not ordinary times.
The Queen’s address comes when disruption from the spread of coronavirus has, as she put it, “brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all.”
Extraordinary times call for extraordinary efforts, and extraordinary leadership. As politicians grapple with the decisions that will navigate our path through the crisis, the Head of State has a less clearly-defined role. The Queen, now 93, perhaps never thought she would ever make a speech like this. But the respect she has earned in her 68 years as monarch meant she was perfectly positioned to do so.
At a time when many feel anxious and unsure about the future given the ongoing lockdown nad a rising death toll in the UK, hearing the Queen say “better days will return” can bring much important reassurance.
A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily) on Apr 5, 2020 at 12:01pm PDT
Interestingly, throughout the four minute speech the Queen did not once mention coronavirus by name. She acknowledged how it has ripped through our lives, but focused on the efforts to tackle it and praised the front line workers who are doing so, saying: “I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it.”
She also reinforced her government’s message that we all have a part to play, thanking those who are staying at home and pondering: “I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge.”
In a rare personal moment of reflection, the Queen recalled her very first broadcast to the nation—made by radio during World War II when she was just 14. Then, as now, loved-ones were separated from their families. “But now, as then, we know, deep down, that it is the right thing to do,” she said. A poignant wartime reference also concluded her message as the Queen referenced the Vera Lynn song with the words “We will meet again.”
This is a critical time for many, and the monarchy is no exception. During crisis there is a chance that the royal family can be seen as increasingly irrelevant or that resentment can grow towards a hierarchical system when so many are suffering. But there is also the opportunity for them to become a crucial part of the collective effort to overcome adversity.
The Queen has always been a popular monarch, and this “deeply personal” speech can leave few in doubt over both her resolve to play her part and the accomplished way in which she will do it. Her country is facing the biggest challenge of her reign. But, as the Queen so perfectly put it: “We will succeed—and that success will belong to every one of us.”
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