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Queen Elizabeth to address the nation to mark 75th anniversary of end of World War ll

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The royal family announced that Queen Elizabeth will make an address on Friday marking the 75th anniversary of V-E Day.

“Today is the 75th anniversary of VE Day: the day when people across the Commonwealth marked the end of war in Europe with a mixture of jubilation and quiet reflection on the many sacrifices which had been made for peace,” the royal family shared on its official Twitter account, alongside an audio clip of the address King George VI, Queen Elizabeth’s father, made on the historic day.  

The royal family said the queen’s address will be at 9 p.m., the “exact time her father spoke 75 years ago.  

Celebrations marking the anniversary have had to be limited in the United Kingdom and across Europe due to restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic. Royal Air Force jets will still fly over the four capitals of the United Kingdom. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will also deliver a message to mark the anniversary, in addition to speaking to a veteran over a video call, Reuters reported.

The queen gave a televised address last month calling on U.K. residents to show the same strength during the coronavirus pandemic that previous Britons showed amid other global crises.

“We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return,” Queen Elizabeth said. “We will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again. We will meet again.”

Johnson is set to announce plans for England’s lockdown on Sunday, with officials insisting that short term changes to measures will be “modest,” the BBC reported.

Tags anniversary Coronavirus royal family United Kingdom World War II

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