Britain needs to hear from the Queen

The silence is striking, not yet deafening.

Some of the royals have engaged with the one issue that preoccupies us all. Prince William, in a video message, has launched an appeal (in collaboration with the National Emergencies Trust) to raise funds for local charities responding to the impact of coronavirus. And Harry and Meghan, via Instagram, have announced an initiative to help people cope with the mental stress caused by the pandemic. According to one report, one of the ways the couple are keeping well during their self-imposed isolation in Canada, is by asking their staff to wear latex gloves.

Their contributions to our global fixation with Covid-19 makes the absence of any word from the Queen all the more notable. Prince Charles may well be champing at the bit to address us, but the heir must take his lead from his mother.

She is innately cautious and will never be rushed. Her current state, socially distancing herself at her favourite home, Windsor Castle – in keeping with government advice – doesn’t preclude her from making a televised address. The precedent has already been set by the King of Spain and the Queen of Denmark.

There have been countless occasions during her long reign when the Queen has acted as a unifying figure and uttered words designed to offer hope. Buckingham Palace describe this as her Head of Nation role where she ‘sends messages of condolence at times of national, international and Commonwealth tragedy’.

Coronavirus fits that bill and the script writes itself. Just the televised image of a nearly 94-year-old self-isolating Monarch would be a powerful one. The current royal approach to coronavirus appears leaden, given the skilful way the Head of Nation role has been deployed previously.

Aside from the will she, won’t she address the nation question, coronavirus is a real, potential threat to the royals, way beyond the obvious concern they share with us about catching the virus and its impact on our loved ones.

The Queen has always believed that her family needs to be seen, in action, to maintain its place in the public’s affection. House of Windsor action has been mothballed. No State visits, prime ministerial audiences in person, or garden parties. Even Princess Beatrice’s forthcoming wedding is being drastically downscaled.

To put it bluntly and not very elegantly, will the royals appear increasingly irrelevant as the number of plaques that go unveiled increases? Such a sentence will have monarchists spluttering into their cappuccinos (assuming they can still lay their hands on one). The institution’s many defenders will insist that coronavirus will be a mere blip for the monarchy in the context of the other crises it has weathered.

But the impact of Covid-19 on a family that thrives on being visible, hasn’t occurred in isolation. They haven’t even begun to recover from their missteps when handling Prince Andrew (and his lack of judgement) and the departure of Harry and Meghan from these shores. The blows keep descending on them and creativity and fleetness of foot have deserted them.

The lack, so far, of a televised address is just one symptom of the current royal malaise. I suspect the Queen will soon appear on our screens. The royals won’t want a repeat of the days after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, when one tabloid headline read, “Show Us You Care”.