Queen Elizabeth II stressed this Sunday in a televised message that the covid-19 pandemic is a “different” challenge from others faced by the United Kingdom and urged the British to respect confinement.
“Although we have faced challenges before, this is different. This time, we join all the nations of the world in a common effort, using the great advances in science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed. And that success will belong to all of us, “he said.
The monarch, who turns 94 this month, recalled when, in 1940, she made a radio broadcast aimed at children displaced from London to the countryside to avoid the bombings of World War II.
“Today, once again, many will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones. But today, as at that time, we know, deep down, that it is the right thing to do,” he said.
The message, prepared together with the government, intended to express confidence and solidarity with the country, evoking the spirit of national cohesion at a time when the authorities demand that the British respect the containment rules to prevent the spread of the virus.
“Together, we are facing this disease and I want to ensure that if we remain united and resolute, we will overcome it”,
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, even in isolation because he was infected, insisted on appeals to people to stay home and today, in an interview with the BBC, Health Minister Matt Hancock warned that measures could be stepped up to avoid abuse.
According to the BBC, the queen’s message was recorded in advance by a cameraman just dressed in protective gear, while the rest of the technical team remained in another room.
In addition to the traditional Christmas speech, this was the fourth time, in 68 years of reign, that the monarch resorted to a television address to address subjects in England and in the 53 independent member countries that make up the Commonwealth.
The other occasions were a speech in 2012, on the 60th anniversary since the coronation, interventions on the eve of her mother’s funeral in 2002 and Princess Diana’s in 1997 and the beginning of the Iraq War in 1991.
Isabel II had already published a message about the covid-19 pandemic crisis in mid-March when she anticipated the seasonal move from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle, with her husband, Prince Philip, 96, but separated from the rest of the family .
The son and first heir in the line of succession, Prince Carlos, is on the Balmoral royal estate, where he was isolated two weeks ago for having contracted the virus, while his grandson and second in the line of succession, Prince William, is in the region. Norfolk with their family.
According to the balance sheet made today, the United Kingdom recorded an additional 621 deaths of infected people in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths during the covid-19 pandemic to 4,934, the British Ministry of Health said.
The number of infected people increased to 47,806, after an additional 5,903 positive cases were diagnosed across the country, which includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
