The Queen Coronavirus broadcast BBC

We will meet again

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 want to thank everyone on the NHS front line, 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. 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. The pride in who we are is not a part of our
past, it defines our present and our future.

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.

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.

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.

It reminds me of the very first broadcast I made, in 1940, helped by my sister. We, as
children, spoke from here at Windsor to children who had been evacuated from their
homes and sent away for their own safety. Today, once again, many will feel a painful
sense of separation from their loved ones. 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.

But for now, I send my thanks and warmest good wishes to you all.

ðə kwiːn kərɒnəvaiərs ˈbrɔːdkɑːst biː-biː-siː

wiː wɪl miːt əˈgɛn

/aɪ æm ˈspiːkɪŋ tuː juː æt wɒt aɪ nəʊ ɪz ən ɪnˈkriːsɪŋli ˈʧælɪnʤɪŋ taɪm! /ə taɪm ɒv dɪs
ˈrʌpʃən ɪn ðə laɪf ɒv ˈaʊə ˈkʌntri:/ /ə dɪsˈrʌpʃən ðæt hæz brɔːt griːf tə sʌm/ faɪˈnænʃəl
ˈdɪfɪkəltiz tə ˈmɛni/ ænd ɪˈnɔːməs ˈʧeɪnʤɪz tə ðə ˈdeɪli laɪvz ɒv ʌs ɔːl//

/aɪ wɒnt tə θæŋk ˈɛvrɪwʌn ɒn ði ɛn-eɪʧ-ɛs frʌnt laɪn/ /əz wɛl əz keə ˈwɜːkəz ənd ðəʊz
ˈkæriɪŋ aʊt ɪˈsɛnʃəl rəʊlz/ huː ˈsɛlflɪsli kənˈtɪnju(ː) ðeə ˈdeɪtəˈdeɪ ˈdjuːtiz/ /aʊtˈsaɪd ðə
həʊm ɪn səˈpɔːt əv əs ɔːl/ /aɪ əm ʃʊə ðə ˈneɪʃən wɪl ʤɔɪn mi ɪn əˈʃʊərɪŋ jʊ/ ðət wɒt jʊ
dʊ z əˈpriːʃɪeɪtɪd/ / ənd ˈɛvri ˈaʊər əv jə hɑːd wɜːk brɪŋz əs ˈkləʊsə/ /tʊ ə rɪˈtɜːn tə mɔː
ˈnɔːməl taɪmz//

aɪ ˈɔːlsəʊ wɒnt tə θæŋk ðəʊz əv jʊ huː ə ˈsteɪɪŋ ət həʊm, ˈðeəˈbaɪ ˈhɛlpɪŋ tə prəˈtɛkt
ðə ˈvʌlnərəbl ənd ˈspeərɪŋ ˈmɛni ˈfæmɪliz ðə peɪn ɔːlˈrɛdi fɛlt baɪ ðəʊz huː həv lɒst lʌvd
wʌnz/təˈgɛðə wi ə ˈtæklɪŋ ðɪs dɪˈziːz, ənd aɪ wɒnt tə ˌriːəˈʃʊə jʊ ðət ɪf wi rɪˈmeɪn jʊ
ˈnaɪtɪd ənd ˈrɛzəluːt/ ðɛn wi wɪl ˌəʊvəˈkʌm ɪt.

aɪ həʊp ɪn ðə jɪəz tə kʌm ˈɛvrɪwʌn wɪl bi ˈeɪbl tə teɪk praɪd ɪn haʊ ðeɪ rɪsˈpɒndɪd tə
ðɪs ˈʧælɪnʤ. ənd ðəʊz huː kʌm ˈɑːftər əs wɪl seɪ ðə ˈbrɪtnz əv ðɪs ˌʤɛnəˈreɪʃən wər əz
strɒŋ əz ˈɛni. ðæt ði ˈætrɪbjuːts əv sɛlf-ˈdɪsɪplɪn, əv ˈkwaɪət ˈgʊdˈhjuːməd rɪˈzɒlv ənd
əv ˈfɛləʊˈfiːlɪŋ stɪl ˈkærɪktəraɪz ðɪs ˈkʌntri. ðə praɪd ɪn huː wi ə z nɒt ə pɑːt əv ˈaʊə
pɑːst, ɪt dɪˈfaɪnz ˈaʊə ˈprɛznt ənd ˈaʊə ˈfjuːʧə.

ðə ˈməʊmənts wɛn ðə jʊˈnaɪtɪd ˈkɪŋdəm həz kʌm təˈgɛðə tʊ əˈplɔːd ɪts keər ənd ɪ
ˈsɛnʃəl ˈwɜːkəz wɪl bi rɪˈmɛmbəd əz ən ɪksˈprɛʃən əv ˈaʊə ˈnæʃənl ˈspɪrɪt; ənd ɪts
ˈsɪmbəl wɪl bi ðə ˈreɪnbəʊz drɔːn baɪ ˈʧɪldrən.
əˈkrɒs ðə ˈkɒmənwɛlθ ənd əˈraʊnd ðə wɜːld, wi həv siːn hɑːt-ˈwɔːmɪŋ ˈstɔːriz əv ˈpiːpl
ˈkʌmɪŋ təˈgɛðə tə hɛlp ˈʌðəz, bi ɪt θruː dɪˈlɪvərɪŋ fuːd ˈpɑːslz ənd ˈmɛdsɪnz, ˈʧɛkɪŋ ɒn
ˈneɪbəz, ɔː kənˈvɜːtɪŋ ˈbɪznɪsɪz tə hɛlp ðə rɪˈliːf ˈɛfət.

ənd ðəʊ sɛlf-ˈaɪsəleɪtɪŋ meɪ ət taɪmz bi hɑːd/ ˈmɛni ˈpiːpl əv ɔːl feɪθs, ənd əv nʌn, ɑː
dɪsˈkʌvərɪŋ ðət ɪt ˈprɛznts ən ˌɒpəˈtjuːnɪti tə sləʊ daʊn, pɔːz ənd rɪˈflɛkt, ɪn preər ɔː
ˌmɛdɪˈteɪʃən.

ɪt ˈrɪmaɪndz mi əv ðə ˈvɛri fɜːst ˈbrɔːdkɑːst aɪ meɪd, ɪn 1940, hɛlpt baɪ maɪ ˈsɪstə. wiː,
əz ˈʧɪldrən, spəʊk frəm hɪər ət ˈwɪnzə tə ˈʧɪldrən huː həd biːn ɪˈvækjʊeɪtɪd frəm ðeə
həʊmz ənd sɛnt əˈweɪ fə ðeər əʊn ˈseɪfti. təˈdeɪ, wʌns əˈgɛn, ˈmɛni wɪl fiːl ə ˈpeɪnfʊl
sɛns əv ˌsɛpəˈreɪʃən frəm ðeə lʌvd wʌnz. bət naʊ, əz ðɛn, wi nəʊ, diːp daʊn, ðæt ɪt s
ðə raɪt θɪŋ tə duː.

waɪl wi həv feɪst ˈʧælɪnʤɪz bɪˈfɔ/ ðɪs wʌn z ˈdɪfrənt/ ðɪs taɪm wi ʤɔɪn wɪð ɔːl ˈneɪʃənz
əˈkrɒs ðə ˈgləʊb ɪn ə ˈkɒmən ɪnˈdɛvə, ˈjuːzɪŋ ðə greɪt ədˈvɑːnsɪz əv ˈsaɪəns ənd ˈaʊər
ɪnˈstɪŋktɪv kəmˈpæʃən tə hiːl/ wi wɪl səkˈsiːd / ənd ðət səkˈsɛs wɪl bɪˈlɒŋ tʊ ˈɛvri wʌn əv
ʌs.

wi ʃəd teɪk ˈkʌmfət ðət waɪl wi meɪ həv mɔː stɪl tʊ ɪnˈdjʊə/ ˈbɛtə deɪz wɪl rɪˈtɜːn: / wi wɪl
bi wɪð ˈaʊə frɛndz əˈgɛn/ wi wɪl bi wɪð ˈaʊə ˈfæmɪliz əˈgɛn/ wi wɪl miːt əˈgɛn.

/bət fə naʊ, aɪ sɛnd maɪ θæŋks/ ənd ˈwɔːmɪst gʊd ˈwɪʃɪz tə jʊ ɔːl.