Monday’s explosive – and false – rumours of King Charles’ death have been traced back to the Russian media.
The fake reports of the monarch’s demise went around the internet so rapidly that Buckingham Palace had to respond, telling Russian state news agency Tass that the King was very much alive.
Here’s what we know about this latest royal saga which had the internet gripped (again) yesterday…
Where did the rumour come from?
The exact origin of the rumour seems unclear, but it was picked up by two popular Russian Telegram channels – Baza and Mash.
They shared a doctored press release in the style of official royal announcements complete with the Palace’s official letterhead, claiming to be from Royal Communications.
It was dated March 18, and claimed: “The King passed away unexpectedly yesterday afternoon [St Patrick’s Day].”
It was similar to the layout of the royal press release declaring the Queen’s death back in 2022 – except, crucially, it did not appear on the Royal Family’s official website or on any of its official channels.
