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London, Monday

Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday thanked healthcare workers on the frontline of the fight against the coronavirus outbreak, promising that a united effort would help defeat the disease.

In a rare special televised address, the 93-year-old monarch drew on her experience in World War II, offering a message of hope to people forced to separate from family and friends.

The monarch and her 98-year-old husband Prince Philip have been at Windsor Castle, London, as a precaution since March 19, as the death toll and number of positive tests increased.

Britain currently has 47,806 confirmed cases and 4,934 deaths. Her own son, heir to the throne Prince Charles, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have contracted the virus.

The queen warned the situation could persist but said the outbreak would be defeated through a collective effort in a “common endeavour”. The message—only her fourth in a time of crisis in her 68-year reign—was recorded at Windsor. 

“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.” -BBC