How the Queen would have announced World War III
Queen Elizabeth II at the Ascot Racecourse, UK on June 17, 2011. It has recently been discovered that the British monarch needs more public money to fund repairs and maintenance work on royal estates including Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace despite efforts to reduce her cost to the British taxpayers last year.
The script of a 1983 speech aides drafted for Queen Elizabeth II to deliver if World War III broke out has been released among other declassified files from the United Kingdom's government archives.
The speech was written as part of a war-gaming exercise in the spring of 1983. That year, United States President Ronald Reagan dubbed the Soviet Union the "evil empire" and deployed US nuclear cruise missiles to Europe.
"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," the draft of the Queen’s address reads.
"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 inspiring words on that fateful day in 1939 [when World War II was declared]. 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."
The Queen likely never saw the speech, and the address was never recorded.
More from GlobalPost: Prince William's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, gives first foreign speech (VIDEO)
Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you. We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll help us unlock a matching gift of $67,000!