Queen’s VE Day message to Britain: ‘Never give up, never despair’
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II has addressed the nation on Victory in Europe (VE) Day, marking 75 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, with the message: “Never give up, never despair.”
The queen’s pre-recorded message was broadcast late Friday, marking the exact moment her father, King George VI, addressed the nation at the end of the war on May 8, 1945.
“At the start, the outlook seemed bleak, the end distant, the outcome
uncertain,” the 94-year-old reflected.
“But we kept faith that the cause was right – and this belief, as my father noted in his broadcast, carried us through.”
The queen paid tribute to the wartime generation saying they “risked all so our families and neighbourhoods could be safe.”
“The greatest tribute to their sacrifice is that countries who were once sworn enemies are now friends, working side by side for the peace, health and prosperity of us all,” she added.
Read also: Taliban blow up police chief in latest Afghanistan attack
This year’s celebrations were limited due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the queen noted that the streets are not empty, “they are filled with the love and the care that we have for each other.”
The queen and her husband Prince Philip, 98, left London for Windsor Castle last month as a “sensible precaution” amid the pandemic. (dpa)
