Her Majesty The Queen will this evening urge Britains to prove that this generation is “as strong as any” when she addresses the nation.
In the televised broadcast from Windsor Castle, the Queen will personally thank front-line NHS staff, care workers and others carrying out essential roles for their efforts, in what is expected to be a deeply personal message reflecting her experience in other difficult times.
Commenting on the difficulties facing the nation, The Queen, will say: “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.”
“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.”
The address comes after the announcement on Saturday of another 708 coronavirus-related deaths, including two more at the Great Western Hospital.
This takes the overall COVID-19 death tally at the hospital to 10.
According to the latest Public Health England figures, there have been 41,903 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 4,313 deaths in the UK.
