Panic in Britain. Monday March 18, 2024, fans of the British royal family held their breath in the face of a wave of false information concerning the health of King Charles III. Of the allegations that the king died of cancer were relayed mainly by Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian media. Internet users were thus able to read “The king died suddenly yesterday afternoon”, in a press release that imitates the official tickets sent by Buckingham Palace. Others reported seeing flags at half-mast in British government buildings. This series of posts allegedly attributed to Buckingham Palace quickly went viral. Enough to give rise to a climate of uncertainty as to the future of the British monarchy, while the health of Kate Middleton has also been a concern for months… The British authorities fortunately reacted very quickly to deny the allegations of death of the King Charles III.
Official denials… but concerns about the king’s health
Faced with this growing disinformation, the British Embassy in Ukraine notably published a official message on social networks to clarify the situation. “We want to inform you that the news regarding the death of King Charles III is false”, it is written. However, these rumors persist, fueled by growing concerns about the health of the monarch, who is indeed suffering from cancer. Fortunately, during an official trip on Thursday February 8, 2024 to the south of England, to Salisbury Cathedral, his wife Camilla assured that Charles III would “extremely well considering the circumstances.” In addition, the British tabloids have already confirmed his presence at Trooping the Color in June 2024. The origin of this rumor has not yet been clarified, but our colleagues at Vanity Fairfor their part, report that “some may see the hand of Russian bots, specialized in the propagation of false information to create disorder in Western countries”.