Queen Elizabeth II urges people to unite as she delivers her speech to mark Commonwealth Day, only hours before the much-anticipated sit-down between Oprah Winfrey and the Sussexes.

• Mar 8, 2021

AceShowbiz - Queen Elizabeth II urged people to show a deeper appreciation for each other in her Commonwealth Day speech, which aired in the U.K. hours before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's U.S. primetime Oprah Winfrey interview.

The monarch was talking about the global impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but many felt her comments were a nod to the TV special, during which her grandson, Prince Harry, and his wife Meghan will discuss their decision to step down as royals.

Harry's dad, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also appeared in the BBC One programme to mark Commonwealth Day (07Mar21).

"The testing times experienced by so many have led to a deeper appreciation of the mutual support and spiritual sustenance we enjoy by being connected to others," The Queen said.

"(Technology) has been new to some of us, with conversations and communal gatherings, including Commonwealth meetings, conducted online, enabling people to stay in touch with friends, family, colleagues, and counterparts who they have not been able to meet in person. Increasingly, we have found ourselves able to enjoy such communication as it offers an immediacy that transcends boundaries or division, helping any sense of distance to disappear."

"We have all continued to appreciate the support, breadth of experiences and knowledge that working together brings."

Elizabeth also praised the "selfless dedication to duty" of medical staff and other key workers. "Whilst experiences of the last year have been different across the Commonwealth, stirring examples of courage, commitment, and selfless dedication to duty have been demonstrated in every Commonwealth nation and territory, notably by those working on the frontline, who have been delivering health care and other public services in their communities," she said.

Sunday night's Oprah Winfrey special is expected to create a deeper rift between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the British royal family, with Meghan accusing her in-laws and their advisors of perpetuating falsehoods about herself and her husband.