How Queen Elizabeth's Speech at Windsor Castle on the Coronavirus Came Together
Tomorrow night at 8 p.m. UK time, Queen Elizabeth will address the public, offering what it understood to be a deeply personal message of support and solidarity amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
She will speak of the challenges the United Kingdom is currently facing, and will acknowledge the work of both essential employees and those NHS doctors, nurses, and volunteers on the front lines fighting this disease.
“I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time. A time of disruption in the life of our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all,” reads a preview of her speech, which was recorded at Windsor Castle.
“I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge. And those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any. That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterise this country.”
Specific measures were taken to protect the Queen's health during the recording of this message, as her age puts her at risk for serious illness from the novel coronavirus. On March 27, following the news that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had tested positive for the virus, Buckingham Palace issued a statement that the Queen "remains in good health," but the Palace have not commented on her well-being since then.
The room at Windsor Castle where she makes her address was chosen so an appropriate distance could be maintained between the British monarch, and the cameraman, who was wearing appropriate PPE. It is also understood that all other staff helping to facilitate the recording were in a separate room connected by speakers.
The UK has been hit particularly hard by COVID-19. As of April 4, 41,903 have tested positive for the disease and 4,313 have died. Last week, after experiencing mild symptoms, Prince Charles tested positive for the coronavirus. He has since recovered from the illness, and is said to be in "good health."
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