Hear Queen Elizabeth II in her own words

In April, at the height of the lockdown, the Queen delivered a historic and stirring televised speech to the nation.

It was just the fifth occasion that Her Majesty has spoken to Britons during unprecedented times, following her address at the time of the first Gulf War in February 1991, the deaths of Diana in 1997 and the Queen Mother 2002, and her Diamond Jubilee message in June 2012. She has since spoken against this year, on the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

Invoking wartime spirit, the 93-year-old monarch told Britons struggling with the effects of Coronavirus, “we will succeed” and “better days will return”.

After the speech, energy reader and body language expert Alison Ward analysed the Queen’s most famous speeches and found one recurring theme.

She told Express.co.uk: “The Queen once again has stepped forward and spoke to the nation when they are in need of comfort, reassurance and direction.

“The Queen knows that the nation is shaking with vulnerability and has stepped into her role as the head of our nation.

“This change in history and her speech will be known for its warmth, connection and calm reassurance that ‘we will meet again’ and life will return to normal.

“The thread that runs throughout this speech is ‘unity’ as a nation.”

Indeed, over the years, the Queen’s words have been powerful, intelligent and in many cases, iconic.

In this feature-length documentary, packed with rare archive and insight from palace insiders, we witness the impact the words of the longest-serving monarch in British history during her 68-year reign. From her public and private interactions with world leaders, her emotional speeches during family tragedies, to her deeply personal Christmas broadcasts, this film reveals the woman beneath the crown.

The Queen has delivered thousands of speeches since the 1940s. Her words have made headlines around the world, and her ‘annus horribilis’ speech even brought Latin to the masses!

Speechwriters and pronunciation experts give a unique perspective on the power of the Queen’s addresses – from the very first speech she gave as a 14 year old during the Second World War, to her most recent broadcast for the commemoration of VE Day.

The Queen has also showed how effective she is at solving family problems.

After she was wrong-footed by Harry and Meghan’s ‘Megxit’ announcement in 2019, she quickly regained control of the situation with a few efficiently worded statements.

There have even been rare moments when we have seen the real Elizabeth.

When caught up in a prank, when her private conversation was played to the world, we hear the Queen like never before. A relaxed and friendly woman able to converse about world events – in French!

However, Her Majesty hasn’t always got it right. When the Welsh village of Aberfan suffered a terrible disaster in 1966, the Queen declined to visit the area immediately, a decision she later regretted.

Again, in 1997 when a nation was in grief after the death of Princess Diana, the Queen kept quiet.

But when the monarch finally spoke on the eve of the funeral, her words went some way to winning back an angry nation.

Throughout our lifetimes, we have come to rely on the Queen’s words, and this year’s speeches alone have proved that Her Majesty’s voice still holds enormous power.

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