Britain’s Queen Invokes World War II In Coronavirus Address
By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – Queen Elizabeth II says Britons will overcome the new coronavirus pandemic if they confront the crisis with the same resolve that carried the nation through other trials and tragedies. Invoking the spirit of World War Two, the British monarch urged Britain in televised remarks to demonstrate the determination as generations of the past.
In what was only her fifth televised address of her 68-year reign, Elizabeth said she realized that she addressed the nation in “an increasingly challenging time.” However, “Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it.” The 93-year-old monarch spoke from her Windsor Castle home where she is staying with her husband, Prince Philip, 98.
“While we have faced challenges before, this one is different. This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavor, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed – and that success will belong to every one of us.”
At times the broadcast echoed the celebrated radio address King George VI delivered in 1939, as Britain teetered on the brink of war with Germany. Queen Elizabeth’s remarks came hours after officials said the death toll in Britain from the virus, known as COVID-19, had risen by 621 in the last 24 hours to 4,934. That number was due to multiply in the next week.
Elizabeth thanked those who were staying at home and said he had helped to spare others from suffering the grief already felt by some families. She praised health care workers for their selfless work and commended the “heart-warming” stories of people across the Commonwealth, of which she is head. The queen also mentioned those delivering food and medicines to those who needed them.
The queen called it “a time of disruption in the life of our country.” It was a disruption that “brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all,” she added. Britain’s royal house was not immune to the virus. The queen’s son and heir Prince Charles, 71, has recovered after suffering mild symptoms of COVID-19.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is among those in self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19. Sunday’s address was to reassure a nation that, like many European countries, is in a state of virtual lockdown. Britons were ordered to stay at home unless it was essential to go out. Health minister Matt Hancock warned that even stricter measures might be taken if people violate current rules to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
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