'The war had been a total war': Queen Elizabeth II, in a special VE Day message, draws similarities between WWII and the coronavirus pandemic

• Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on Friday offered a message in honor of the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day).
• The 93-year-old monarch spoke of the parallels between the Second World War that left more than 50 million dead, and the ongoing efforts to battle the coronavirus.
• "The war had been a total war: it had affected everyone, and no one was immune from its impact," she said.
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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on Friday offered a tribute and a message of hope in honor of the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day).

In a video message, the 93-year-old monarch drew a parallel between the Second World War that left more than 50 million dead, and the ongoing efforts to battle the coronavirus.

VE Day is remembered as the day when Nazi Germany submitted its unconditional surrender from the war on May 8, 1945, officially ending the conflict in Europe. Her Majesty was 19 years old at the time of VE Day.

"I speak to you today at the same hour as my father did, exactly 75 years ago," the Queen said, referring to a speech made by King George VI. "His message then was a salute to the men and women at home and abroad who had sacrificed so much in pursuit of what he rightly called 'a great deliverance.'"

"The war had been a total war: it had affected everyone, and no one was immune from its impact," she added.

The Queen recalled that "at the start, the outlook seemed bleak, the end distant, the outcome uncertain."

"Today it may seem hard that we cannot mark this special anniversary as we would wish. Instead, we remember from our homes and our doorsteps," the Queen said. "But our streets are not empty; they are filled with the love and the care that we have for each other.

"And when I look at our country today and see what we are willing to do to protect and support one another, I say with pride that we are still a nation those brave soldiers, sailors, and airmen would recognize and admire," she added.

As of Friday evening, nearly four million positive cases of the coronavirus and 270,000 related deaths have been reported, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

The Queen offered a similar video message earlier in April during an "increasingly challenging time."

"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," she said at the time.

Prior to her April message, the Queen only made three other similar broadcasts during her 68-year tenure, according to ITV royal editor Chris Ship. Her Majesty made a broadcast in 1991 amid the backdrop of the Gulf War; in 1997 after the death of Princess Diana, and following the Queen Mother's funeral in 2002.