Dame Vera Lynn's We'll Meet Again gets huge sales boost after Queen references her World War Two anthem in coronavirus speech

The Queen referenced the wartime classic during her recent address, calling on people to stay resilient through the crisis.

Dame Vera Lynn's We'll Meet Again has had a huge boost in sales this week after the Queen referenced the famous wartime song during her address to the UK about the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday (April 5).

Downloads of We'll Meet Again are up 580% week-on-week, according to Official Charts Company data, which takes in sales across all major retailers including iTunes and Amazon.

The song became an anthem for Britons during the Second World War as many were separated from their loved ones. Following the Queen's address, which was seen by 24 million people, it has gained new resonance as millions of friends and families are apart during the current lockdown.

MORE: Vera Lynn's Official Chart history in full

Calling on people to stay resilient through the crisis, the Queen said: "We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return.

"We will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again."

Dame Vera Lynn celebrated her 103rd birthday last month and marked the occasion by calling on the British public to find "moments of joy" during these "hard times". She also released a new video for We'll Meet Again.

"All around the world, people are facing extremely difficult times," she said. "It is likely that we will all have to make hard decisions in the coming months.

"I am reminded of World War Two, when our country faced the darkest of times and yet, despite our struggles, pulled together for the common good and we faced the common threat together as a country, and as a community of countries that joined as one right across the world."

Dame Vera Lynn is the oldest artist to score a Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart, which she achieved in 2009 aged 93. In 2016, she became the first and only centenarian to earn a Top 10 on the Official Albums Chart.