Top a_queen_broadcast
| 1 | I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time . |
| 2 | 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 . |
| 3 | I want to thank everyone on the NHS frontline , as_well_as care workers and those carrying out essential roles , who selflessly continue their day_-_to_-_day duties outside the home in support of us all . I am sure the nation will join me in assuring you that what you do is appreciated and every hour of your hard work brings us closer to a return to more normal times . I also want to thank those of you who are staying at home , thereby helping to protect the vulnerable and sparing many families the pain already felt by those who have lost loved ones . Together we are tackling this disease , and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute , then we will overcome it . I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge . |
| 4 | And those who come after us will say 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 . |
| 5 | The pride in who we are is not a part of our past , it defines our present and our future . |
| 6 | The moments when the United Kingdom has come together to applaud its care and essential workers will be remembered as an expression of our national spirit ; and its symbol will be the rainbows drawn by children . |
| 7 | Across the Commonwealth and around the world , we have seen heart_-_warming stories of people coming together to help others , be it through delivering food parcels and medicines , checking on neighbours , or converting businesses to help the relief effort . |
| 8 | And though self_-_isolating may at times be hard , many people of all faiths , and of none , are discovering that it presents an opportunity to slow down , pause and reflect , in prayer or meditation . |
| 9 | It reminds me of the very first broadcast I made , in 1940 , helped by my sister . |
| 10 | We , as children , spoke from here at Windsor to children who had been evacuated from their homes and sent away for their own safety . |
| 11 | Today , once again , many will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones . |
| 12 | But now , as then , we know , deep_down , that it is the right thing to do . While we have faced challenges before , this one is different . This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour , using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal . We will succeed - and that success will belong to every one of us . We should take comfort that while we may have more_still to endure , better days will return : we will be with our friends again ; we will be with our families again ; we will meet again . |
| 13 | But for now , I send my thanks and warmest good wishes to you all . |