Queen Elizabeth.
Queen Elizabethis addressing the world just hours beforeMeghan MarkleandPrince Harry’s sit-down with Oprah Winfrey is set to air.
The Queen led the royal family in honoring the people that make up the 54 nations of the Commonwealth in a special televised service on Sunday. The 94-year-old monarch used her address to pay tribute to the way in which communities across the family of nations have come together in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that has struck the world since the last Commonwealth Day.
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“The need to maintain greater physical distance, or to live and work largely in isolation, has, for many people across the Commonwealth, been an unusual experience. In our everyday lives, we have had to become more accustomed to connecting andcommunicating via innovative technology- which has been new to some of us,” added the monarch, who hasmastered the art of the video callherself.
With an eye towards the future, the Queen expressed hope that “we shall maintain this renewed sense of closeness and community.““Looking forward, relationships with others across the Commonwealth will remain important, as we strive to deliver a common future that is sustainable and more secure, so that the nationals and neighbourhoods in which we live, wherever they are located, become healthier and happier places for all,” she said.
The royal family on Commonwealth Day in 2020.PHIL HARRIS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Last year’s service on March 9turned out to be the last public duty that Meghan and Harry undertook before they stepped down as working members of the royal family in March 2020.
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Sunday’s royal broadcast also includedKate MiddletonandPrince Williamtalking to medical, charity and volunteer staffers from across the Commonwealth. In a series of calls, William and Kate asked what inspired the frontline workers to support their communities, the impact of their vital work and how they have adapted their efforts in response to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
Ahead of International Women’s day on Monday, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex was seen speaking to three women from around the Commonwealth to hear about their experiences of supporting other women and their wider communities.
Last week, the Queen, whose husbandPrince Philipis in thehospitalfollowing a heart procedure, continued to stay in touch with the Commonwealth holding a video meeting with the Governor of South Australia, His Excellency the Hon. Hieu Van Le, and the Hon. Steven Marshall MP, Premier of South Australia. They spoke about how the region has handled the COVID-19 pandemic, including vaccinating key workers and lifting restrictions. She also learned how South Australia has recovered from the drought and bushfires in early 2020.
Queen Elizabeth statue.Buckingham Palace
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source: people.com
