The internet did a double take on Tuesday night when the gossip website Hollywood Unlocked claimed the Queen was dead. ‘HU Exclusive: Queen Elizabeth Dead,’ the headline put it bluntly, with reporters claiming ‘Royal Kingdom’ sources had let them know exclusively.
Obviously, panic descended and Google searches for ‘Has the Queen passed away’, ‘Did the queen die’, and ‘Queen Elizabeth II dead’ leapt in numbers. Like most people, we have a lot of questions about how and why this rumour escalated and have done some digging to set the story straight.
Has The Queen Passed Away?
Buckingham Palace told reporters they ‘would not entertain’ commenting on the wild rumour, so it goes without saying that Queen Elizabeth II is still very much alive. And even before official comment, the story was quickly debunked online.
Internet detectives were first suspicious of Hollywood Unlocked’s reporting when they pointed out no royal source would ever call the palace the Royal Kingdom. As it continues, the article actually gets wilder than Joe Lycett’s spoof Sue Grey report as it claims the Queen was due to go to Vogue editor Edward Enninful’s wedding but was ‘found dead’ beforehand.
Let’s say for the sake of argument that the Queen was due to go to the fashion icon’s nuptials but passed away before she had the chance, would Buckingham Palace security alert Hollywood Unlocked before anyone else? No offence, but we doubt it.
Why Were People Saying The Queen Has Died?
Despite ridicule, Hollywood Unlocked's editor Jason Lee has stood by his story. ‘We don’t post lies and I always stand by my sources,’ he Tweeted. ‘Waiting for an official statement from the palace.’
The idea that the Queen’s death may be leaked to the press isn’t entirely unimaginable, and reporters have been on red alert for the news after she contracted Covid and cancelled all virtual engagements to rest.
But there is a strict protocol in place for announcing the Queen’s passing that has been code-named London Bridge. In the event of her death, a ‘call cascade’ (starting with the Prime Minister) will work its way through senior civil servants and officials with ‘discretion’ before the Royal household makes an ‘official notification’ of the news.
Who Is Jason Lee?
Jason Lee is the founder of Hollywood Unlocked and started the celebrity gossip site in 2015. He’s often papped with famous faces like Floyd Mayweather and Amber Rose and was busy socialising when he dropped the (seemingly) fake news bombshell on the internet on Tuesday evening.
‘I’ve never lied. I’ve never been wrong. I trust my sources,’ he wrote on Instagram in wake of the social media ridicule. ‘I have yet to see an official statement from the palace saying otherwise. I’ll be at the Donda concert tonight with YE.’
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