Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Getty
By now, the royal family has made it wonderfully clear that the Windsors are well equipped to lead Britain through this period of crisis – particularly the Queen, who released a calming message on 19 March as London ground to a halt to prevent the further spread of coronavirus. Now, Her Majesty is going one step further, intending to give a special address to the nation from Windsor Castle, where she is staying with the Duke of Edinburgh for the foreseeable future as a “sensible precaution”.
This will be only the fourth time in the Queen’s 68-year reign that she has given a televised speech beyond her annual Christmas message. She previously spoke directly to the public following the deaths of her mother, in 2002, and of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997, in addition to sharing words of encouragement during the Gulf War in 1991. While an exact date for the speech is yet to be revealed by Buckingham Palace, it is due to take place at some point in the coming weeks.
While confined at Windsor in line with government advice, the Queen is conducting key engagements and receiving government briefings on her iPad via FaceTime – and intends to speak with those on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic through video conferencing software where possible. She is also reportedly Skyping with the Prince of Wales, who is self isolating with the Duchess of Cornwall at Birkhall in Scotland, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Anmer Hall in Norfolk and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at their temporary home on Vancouver Island.
Originally published on Vogue.co.uk
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