Around 24 million people watched Queen Elizabeth’s broadcast to the nation on Sunday (05.04.20).
The 93-year-old monarch made a rare address to the nation amid the coronavirus pandemic, thanking the people of the UK for following government advice and praising people for “coming together to help others”.
The broadcast was watched by as many as 23.97 million viewers, making it the second most-watched broadcast of 2020, according to figures.
The only TV event to surpass those figures so far this year was by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, when he announced new coronavirus restrictions.
The Prime Minister’s message was seen by 27 million people.
The Queen delivers a Christmas Day message every year and by comparison, her Christmas broadcast in 2019 was watched by 7.85 million people.
Speaking from Windsor Castle amid the coronavirus lockdown, the Queen said: “While we have faced challenges before, this one is different. This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavor, 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.”
The monarch hopes that one day, Britons will be able to take pride in their response to the current situation.
She explained: “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-humored resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterize this country.”
Meanwhile,U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to a hospital for tests Sunday, 10 days after contracting the coronavirus. A Downing Street spokesperson said it’s a “precautionary step” since he continued to have persistent symptoms of the virus, as reported on CNBC.
The virus has infected more than 40,000 people in Britain so far, among them Queen Victoria’s eldest son Prince Charles, as reported by The Sauce. He announced two weeks ago that he was suffering with mild symptoms.
