The Queen will evoke the wartime spirit when she addresses the nation on Britain’s battle against coronavirus.

In her historic televised message, which will be broadcast at 8pm on Sunday, the monarch will acknowledge the pain felt by many families living through this “time of disruption”.

Speaking from Windsor Castle, the 93-year-old monarch will say: "I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time.

"A time of disruption in the life of our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all."

In what palace officials describe as deeply personal words, Her Majesty will praise the work of those on the frontline: NHS workers, carers and other staff who are keeping the country going.

Describing how proud she has been to see Britain pull together, she'll say: "I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge.

"And those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any.

“That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterise this country."

With the weekend predicted to be the warmest of the year so far, the Queen will also thank those who are following the official guidance to stay at home to protect the vulnerable.

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The widely anticipated address will be a rare event, with the head of state only making three previous appearances during troubled times.

Speeches were broadcast after the Queen Mother’s death in 2002, ahead of Diana, Princess of Wales’s funeral in 1997 and about the first Gulf War in 1991.

Sunday’s message was recorded at Windsor Castle under specially controlled circumstances, to mitigate any health risks to the Queen and others.

The castle’s White Drawing Room was specifically chosen so that an appropriate distance could be maintained between the monarch and the room’s only other occupant – a cameraman wearing personal protective equipment.

The four-minute and 30-second broadcast was produced by BBC Studios Events and other staff were in another room connected by speakers.

The Queen has been staying at her Berkshire home of Windsor Castle, with the Duke of Edinburgh, after she moved to the royal residence on March 19, earlier than normal for the Easter period, as a precaution.

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Buckingham Palace announced in March that in consultation with the Medical Household and Government, a number of public events with large numbers of people due to have been attended by the Queen and other members of the royal family in the coming months would be cancelled or postponed.

The monarch and her family have been conducting some of their royal duties by telephone or video link, with the Prince of Wales opening the new NHS Nightingale Hospital in east London on Friday remotely from his Scottish home.

The Queen’s address will be broadcast on TV and radio and shared via the Royal Family’s social media at 8pm on Sunday.