Princess Elizabeth on Children’s Hour (1940)

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In October 1940, the then Princess Elizabeth made an appearance on BBC Children’s Hour, to send her best wishes to the evacuees. Her sister, Princess Margaret, joined her. As war engulfed the country, thousands of children were evacuated from Britain’s cities to the countryside and, in some cases, abroad. About 13,000 children made the long journey to countries such as Canada and the United States but the threat to their ships from torpedoes made this journey perilous. This was the future Queen’s first broadcast on the BBC.