Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

Queen to address nation on Sunday over coronavirus crisis

Queen to address nation on Sunday over coronavirus crisis

Head of state to deliver special broadcast on Covid-19 outbreak
The Queen will address the nation and Commonwealth on Sunday, delivering a message on the coronavirus outbreak in a rare special televised broadcast.

The announcement by Buckingham Palace ends speculation over whether the monarch would make a statement about the unprecedented events that have forced the country into lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Queen, who will be 94 later this month and is said to remain in good health, pre-recorded the address at Windsor Castle, where she and the Duke of Edinburgh, 98, are staying.

It is expected she will praise the efforts of health workers and all those helping the fight against Covid-19.

In a statement, 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 televised address will be broadcast at 8pm on Sunday 5 April 2020.”

Other than at Christmas, the Queen has made few televised addresses. Those she has made include addresses at the time of the Gulf war in 1991, on the eve of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997, following the death of the Queen Mother in 2002, and at the time of her diamond jubilee celebrations in 2012.

The Prince of Wales paid his own tribute to the national effort in combating the disease when he officially opened NHS Nightingale London, via video link from his Birkhall home in Scotland on Friday.

Charles praised the “spectacular and almost unbelievable feat of work” undertaken to build the field hospital at the ExCeL conference centre in east London in just nine days.

The hospital offered “an intensely practical message of hope to those who need it most at this time of national suffering”, he said.

“Let us also pray that it will be required for as short a time and for as few people as possible.”

Charles, who is out of self-isolation after testing positive for Covid-19 having experienced mild symptoms, said it was an “example if ever one was needed how the impossible can be made possible and how we can achieve the unthinkable through human will and ingenuity”.

He added: “On behalf of the nation I want to say a very big thank you to the planners, the builders, the armed forces, the generous companies and organisations which have donated equipment and services and all the support staff who have made this possible.

“Also we owe an immense debt of gratitude to the doctors, the nurses, technicians and staff – currently working in the health service and those coming out of retirement - and the voluntary workers who have been working within it.

“And I can only offer my thoughts and prayers to those who will receive care within it and let us hope it will not be too long before this terrible disease has left our land.”

He added: “In this dark time this place will be a shining light. It is symbolic of the selfless care and devoted service taking place in innumerable settings by countless individuals throughout the United Kingdom.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
×