Queen Elizabeth II to Make Special Coronavirus Broadcast to U.K. on Sunday

Queen Elizabeth II has recorded a special broadcast on the coronavirus outbreak that will be broadcast on Sunday.

The broadcast comes amid a U.K. lockdown to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, which has so far claimed 3,605 lives in the country, including 684 deaths announced today.

The televised address, for the U.K. and the Commonwealth, will be broadcast at 8PM local time on Sunday.

The address was recorded at Windsor Castle, where the Queen is staying with the Duke of Edinburgh.

It is unusual for the monarch to make an unscheduled broadcast to the nation. Sunday’s address will be only the fourth of her 68-year reign beyond her traditional message on Christmas Day.

The Queen has previously addressed the nation at times such as the 1991 Gulf War and the 1997 death of Princess Diana.

Coronavirus has managed to enter the royal orbit, with the Queen’s son and heir to the throne, Prince Charles, contracting the virus, as well as one of her footmen.

Last month she issued a message on the outbreak saying the UK is “entering a period of great concern and uncertainty”.

“Her Majesty The Queen has recorded a special broadcast to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus outbreak,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

Some 27 million viewers watched Prime Minister Boris Johnson addess the nation on March 23 to announce a countrywide lockdown to tackle coronavirus, making it the most watched piece of TV this century.