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Coronavirus has changed life as we know it. And with the UK now going into its eighth week of lockdown and other countries across the world doing the same, morale is at a low.
Royal family members have been stepping up and taking it upon themselves to reassure the nation, with the Queen playing an extremely active role from Windsor Castle, where she is isolating with Prince Philip.
‘We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return,’ the Queen announced in a rare televised speech to reassure the nation last month. ‘We will be with our friends again, we will be with our families again; we will meet again.’
The monarch made another speech last week to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day, and has also been holding virtual meetings and phone calls to keep official business ticking over.
It was reported this week however that we might not be seeing the Queen in person for a long while, with the monarch set to be taking an extended leave of absence for the next few months - her longest ever.
According to royal biographer Andrew Morton, the Queen may never return to public life, with most of her duties involving being in very close proximity to other people.
'It’s terribly sad, but I can’t see how the Queen can resume her usual job,' Andrew Morton explained. 'The COVID-19 virus isn’t going away soon and will be with us for months, if not years. It would be far too risky for the Queen to start meeting people on a regular basis. She has always loved getting out and meeting people, but she can’t take the risk.
'How can she carry out investitures, meet ambassadors, do walkabouts and visit places without meeting people at close range? If she gets the bug, it could be fatal and would put Prince Philip at risk.'
He continued: 'The Queen’s speech last month was brilliant and it brought the country together. To quote Churchill, it was her finest hour, but from now on we are maybe only going to be seeing her on video links. We will have a Zoom monarchy. She will be Her Majesty the Screen.'
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