London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 08, 2025

Why the Queen's message will be about unity

Why the Queen's message will be about unity

It was always a question of when, not if, the Queen would speak.

Not because there is any rule to these broadcasts. There have been four, in very different circumstances.

The beginning of the land war in Iraq in 1991; the death of Diana, Princess of Wales; the death of the Queen's mother; and a brief message of thanks after the celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

They are not requested by the government, the Palace discreetly corrects those who suggest that. They are made after agreement between Downing Street and Buckingham Palace.

The Royal Family has had a low profile in this period of national crisis, Palace officials are aware of that. Partly it has been of necessity - the Queen and Prince Charles are both over 70 and have had to follow government advice to self-isolate.

In a more "normal" crisis William and Kate might have been more visible. But the government's request that people avoid all but essential travel has meant that their appearance at hospitals or amongst other key workers would have sent very confusing signals

Similarly, a broadcast from the Queen in the earliest weeks of the pandemic might have got in the way of the government's urgent messaging.

There may be no rule for the timing of these broadcasts but there is a thread that binds them.

The Queen and the Royal Family have many roles: constitutional, ceremonial, the fun stuff like Garden Parties, visits to towns and cities, support for charitable causes.

But over all of it hangs one idea, to unify. To provide a rallying point of some form in a nation of startling variety.

When the nation is divided, the Queen does not speak, that is for the government and opposition to thrash out.

There was no broadcast during the Iraq War in 2003, nor during the invasion of Egypt in the Suez Crisis of 1956. Both involved the Armed Forces that serve in the Queen's name. But both saw bitter divisions in the country.

Nor, when power cuts came and went and industrial action roiled the country in the 1970s, did she speak.

Calls for unity at such times could easily be interpreted as supporting one side or another.

But the situation today is very different.

The Queen does not suffer the same challenges as those cooped up in small flats and houses, those unemployed or facing unemployment. She is in Windsor where there is more than enough space to relax.

But her son, Prince Charles, has been infected with Covid-19.

And through the state papers she receives every day, through newspapers and broadcasting, she is as aware as anyone in the land of the immense challenges that so many people face.

Do not expect her to be the National Nanny. Requests for hand washing and remaining at home will be left to the government.

Instead she will project the calm determination that she believes is part of Britain's national character. As she did when she spoke after her mother's death, she is likely to give thanks as well.

And as sovereign of a nation that enjoys its history, a look back to previous challenges is to be expected.

But mainly this message will be about unity. About coming together in a time of national struggle.

Unity is what these broadcasts are about, and what the Royal Family is meant to be for. And unity will be the message come Sunday.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
×