Emily Brown
A drafted speech written as part of a war-gaming exercise sees the Queen attempt to prepare the country for World War III.
The moving speech involves the monarch reflecting on her memories of World War II and the way her father, George VI, addressed the country at the time, before noting that 'not for a single moment did [she] imagine that this solemn and awful duty would one day fall' to her.
Queen Elizabeth II never recorded the speech, though it was simulated by an actor in 2013 following its release by the government under the 30-year rule.
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The speech was originally devised by Whitehall officials in 1983, during one of the most fraught Cold War periods, and includes references to Prince Andrew, who was in the Navy at the time.
The speech begins with a nod to the Queen's traditional Christmas address, BBC News reports, as it reads: 'The horrors of war could not have seemed more remote as my family and I shared our Christmas joy with the growing family of the Commonwealth. Now, this madness of war is once more spreading through the world and our brave country must again prepare itself to survive against great odds.'
It continues: 'I have never forgotten the sorrow and the pride I felt as my sister and I huddled around the nursery wireless set listening to my father's [George VI's] inspiring words on that fateful day in 1939 [at the start of the World War II].
'Not for a single moment did I imagine that this solemn and awful duty would one day fall to me. But whatever terrors lie in wait for us all, the qualities that have helped to keep our freedom intact twice already during this sad century will once more be our strength.'
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A product of the time, the speech went on to make reference to the Queen's husband, Prince Philip, who passed away at the age of 99 in April 2021.
It says: 'My husband and I share with families up and down the land the fear we feel for sons and daughters, husbands and brothers who have left our side to serve their country. My beloved son Andrew is at this moment in action with his unit and we pray continually for his safety and for the safety of all servicemen and women at home and overseas.
'It is this close bond of family life that must be our greatest defence against the unknown. If families remain united and resolute, giving shelter to those living alone and unprotected, our country's will to survive cannot be broken.'
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Concluding the speech, the Queen would have said her message to the nation was 'simple': 'As we strive together to fight off the new evil, let us pray for our country and men of goodwill wherever they may be. God Bless you all.'
In the war gaming exercise in which the speech was written, Orange bloc forces representing the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies launched a chemical weapon attack on the UK.
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