6 times Queen Elizabeth II showed strength and empathy during her reign

On April 5, 2020, the Queen gave a rare video speech addressing a world reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.

She tried to convey courage and hope as scientists raced to find a vaccine and much of the public remained in lockdown. Before this, her most recent addresses had been her annual Christmas speech and the State Opening of Parliament, marking the start of the parliamentary session.

"We will succeed — and that success will belong to every one of us," she said from Windsor Castle. "We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return."

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, killing nearly 9,000 people and injuring more than 22,000 people.

Buckingham Palace released a statement in which the Queen said she supported the country's president, Ram Baran Yadav, and the Nepalese people. She led tributes to the victims and donated personally to the nation.

Nepal established diplomatic relations with the UK in 1816 and was an ally during both world wars.

To honor the lives lost in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the Queen broke protocol — and 600 years of tradition — by allowing her royal guards to play the US national anthem in front of Buckingham Palace the next day.

For centuries traditional or popular British music was played during royal ceremonies, while national anthems were played only for state visits. But to show solidarity with the US and the families of people from the UK who died that day, the Queen requested "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Twenty years after World War II, the Queen visited West Germany to symbolize a new chapter in the decades-long process to reconcile Britain and Germany. More than a million people were said to have lined the streets to welcome her.

She continued the mission to reunite the continent throughout her reign. During a visit to Germany in 2015, she gave a notable speech in which she said: "We know that we must work hard to maintain the benefits of the postwar world. We know the division in Europe is dangerous and that we must guard against it in the west as well as in the east of our continent. That remains a common endeavor."

In 1947, when South Africa was still part of the British Empire, the Queen visited the country on a national tour. There she gave one of her first public speeches, which was broadcast on the radio from Cape Town. She used the opportunity to state her lifelong commitment to service.

"I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong," she said.

The royal family did not visit the country during apartheid, from 1948 to 1994. The Queen's relationship with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher became strained over Thatcher's unwillingness to support sanctions against South Africa's government.

The monarch visited South Africa again in 1995 as a sign of reconciliation.

At 13, Princess Elizabeth delivered a radio broadcast dedicated to the hundreds of thousands of children who had been displaced during World War II.

The public announcement showed Elizabeth's commitment to international unity even before she was Queen.

"Thousands of you in this country have had to leave your homes and be separated from your fathers and mothers," she said, adding, "We send a message of true sympathy, and at the same time we would like to thank the kind people who have welcomed you to their homes in the country."