Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating 70 years on the British throne with an unprecedented
Platinum Jubilee.
The celebrations are coming after a tumultuous 2021 for the monarch.
At 95 years old, she's faced numerous battles, beginning with the death of her husband, Prince
Philip in 2021 and continuing with her own private health battles.
In October 2021, The Evening Standard reported that the queen's doctors had advised her to
rest and take a break from her duties for medical reasons.
Concerns for the queen's health skyrocketed further when she tested positive for COVID-19
in February 2022.
Though she was confirmed to suffer mild, cold-like symptoms, people were still worried about
the long-reigning monarch's fragility.
"Once you get to 95, it's not quite as easy as it used to be.
It's bad enough at 73."
With Queen Elizabeth's birthday right around the corner on April 21, concern for the elderly
monarch is at an all-time high.
Anytime a news alert pops up that includes her name, people find themselves panicking,
and wondering if this could be the end.
Theories have even circulated that the Queen is already dead, with some Internet sleuths
convinced that her recent appearances, including the queen's annual Christmas broadcast, are
entirely faked.
"I wish you all a very happy Christmas."
Rumors of the queen's death are no new trend, and have regularly circulated as the Queen
has gotten older.
Now, as she approaches her 96th birthday, those rumors are at work again.
On February 22, 2022, the Instagram account Hollywood Unlocked stunned followers by posting
a breaking news "HU Exclusive" on Instagram, claiming that the Queen had died.
The post was captioned,
"Sources close to the Royal Palace notified us exclusively that #QueenElizabeth has passed
away.
She was scheduled to attend the wedding of British Vogue editor Edward Enninful, but
was found dead.
Story developing."
Followers were floored by the news, but it soon became clear that, exclusive or not,
no other outlet was confirming or reporting this news.
Was it a fluke?
With 2.8 million followers on Instagram, Hollywood Unlocked would seem to be a reputable source.
In the past, the Hollywood Unlocked web site has sometimes broken news as quickly as TMZ,
tackling countless exclusive reports and interviews, including a recent interview between site
founder Jason Lee and Kanye West.
But this news item strained credulity, with some Instagram commenters asking why such
a high-profile death would be leaked to Hollywood Unlocked alone.
In this case, Hollywood Unlocked's post to their website about the queen's "death" seemed
to hint that it was due to the fact she had tested positive for COVID-19 in February,
and the publication seemed confident in their reporting.
The publication continued to push the story by sharing a separate Instagram post titled,
"Plan of action put into place for Queen Elizabeth's death."
This referenced the already existing "Operation London Bridge," a long-standing British plan
which outlines how the United Kingdom will respond to the death of its longest-reigning
monarch.
"At the moment of the Queen's passing, a message will flash out from Buckingham Palace stating,
‘London Bridge is down.’”
Despite the initial shock, it was soon clear that Hollywood Unlocked was likely reporting
fake news, as no other major platform or outlet had confirmed or shared news of the queen's
death.
Users flocked online to mock the fake news and condemn the website for spreading it so
carelessly.
The publication's founder, Jason Lee, doubled down on the news despite the jokes at his
expense.
Lee wrote on Twitter,
"We don't post lies and I always stand by my sources.
Waiting for an official statement from the palace."
And the internet continued piling on.
"It's all fake news."
"Fake news."
While the "fake" story continued to float around, other members of the media shared
their thoughts on the story.
Royal commentator Marlene Koenig tried to be helpful on Twitter, writing,
"I hate to break the news to you but that's not how it works in announcing the death of
a sovereign.
I suggest you get new sources."
Journalist Ricardo Brooks also chimed in on the social media platform, saying,
"Queen Elizabeth is not dead.
The @BBC will report it first, after her Private Secretary has advised the British Prime Minister.
There's a very elaborate and well laid plan to announce her death."
Both Buckingham Palace and the royal family have yet to comment.
However, BNO News weighed in on the rumors by quoting Dayo Okewale, a chief of staff
in the House of Lords, who called the reports of the Queen's death "false."
"To quote Mark Twain, 'rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.'"
The story seemed to culminate in Hollywood Unlocked's Twitter account posting a mea culpa,
acknowledging their error and pinning the blame on an intern.
But then, site founder Jason Lee posted a rebuttal to that alleged retraction, writing
on his personal Twitter account,
"Woke up to some fake account posting a retraction.
We do not know that account and we have not retracted our story.
There has yet to be an official statement from the Palace.
Staying tuned."
"I don't know about y'all, but my year has started out crazy."
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