The queen will reportedly give a very rare televised address about coronavirus
Queen Elizabeth II sticks to a fairly meticulous schedule when it comes to all of her appearances, but now it sounds like she might veer off track in the face of a global emergency. As reported by UK publication The Times, the queen will give a televised speech about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. A date has not yet been set, and the queen herself has not yet confirmed the speech.
According to a follow-up report by People, a “royal source” said that the queen will follow the “advice of the government as to when [the speech] might best be deployed.”
In light of the pandemic, Queen Elizabeth II has moved from London to Windsor Castle with her husband, Prince Phillip. She will reportedly coordinate the speech with her aides via a video chat service to maintain social distancing.
The coronavirus speech would be only the fourth time Queen Elizabeth II gave an uncalendared speech to the public in her 68-year reign.
As reported by The Times, the other three “special addresses” were her 1991 comments about the Gulf War, her 1997 speech in light of Princess Diana’s death, and her 2002 speech after her mother’s death.
As for her scheduled speeches, the Queen gives several per year at the events she attends and addresses the public each year with her televised Christmas speech. Basically, people know what to expect when it comes to the 93-year-old monarch.
The Queen has already released a statement about COVID-19.
On March 19th, she commented on her move to Windsor, thanked scientists and healthcare and emergency workers, and reminded that nation that each person has a role to play when it comes to keeping everyone else safe.
“Many of us will need to find new ways of staying in touch with each other and making sure that loved ones are safe,” she wrote. “I am certain we are up to that challenge. You can be assured that my family and I stand ready to play our part.”
Well, apparently the queen’s been using Skype and FaceTime, so times are changing for all of us.
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, HelloGiggles is committed to providing accurate and helpful coverage to our readers. As such, some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, we encourage you to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments, and visit our coronavirus hub.
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