The message about the death of Elizabeth II turned out to be fake

“Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland” – such a message appeared on Thursday afternoon in social networks on behalf of the British The Guardian. However, a refutation soon came – the alarm is premature, Her Majesty is alive. The initial source of false information turned out to be a fake account of an authoritative publication that has nothing to do with the newspaper.

The deteriorating health of the queen was reported by Buckingham Palace on Thursday afternoon – no details were given, it was only announced that the queen was “comfortable at Balmoral Castle” in Scotland and that she was placed under the supervision of doctors. However, local media circulated insiders’ statements, according to which “it is worth preparing for the worst.” In particular, former BBC royal correspondent Richard Sumner said that Her Majesty’s body “refuses” her.

The London Stock Exchange immediately reacted to reports of Elizabeth’s deteriorating health – the leading FTSE 100 index immediately went down.

The media turned out to be pessimistic as well – the heading of the official website of the BBC changed color from red to black, the correspondent of the channel went on the air in a gloomy black suit. Today, all entertainment programs have disappeared from the channel’s broadcasting grid. The British press, without waiting for the official announcement of the death of the monarch, began to discuss the details plan “London Bridge” – a special operation, developed in advance in case of the death of the queen.

Unlike previous reports of the monarch’s ill health, such as coronavirus infection, today’s news immediately provoked anxious moods among the subjects. A crowd began to gather at Buckingham Palace – they had already announced the cancellation of the traditional changing of the guard ceremony, onlookers pulled themselves up to the perimeter of the Scottish castle of Balmoral.

The seriousness of the situation was indicated by media reports that members of the royal family hurried to Scotland, to the ill queen. The first, according to the press, left the heir to the British throne, 73-year-old Prince Charles and his wife Camilla (now he is already in place). Also, the rest of Elizabeth’s children, her grandchildren Prince William and Prince Harry, went to the castle – the latter went to their grandmother despite the ongoing family scandal. In April 2021, Harry, who renounced royal duties and moved to the United States with his wife Meghan Markle, also visited Britain on a mournful occasion – to attend the funeral of his grandfather, Elizabeth’s husband Prince Philip, who left at the age of 99.