Queen Elizabeth II Trends As SA Questions Report About British Monarch Passing Away: "Hoax Story?"
- A report doing the rounds online is suggesting The Queen of Britain and its longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth ll, has died
- The Queen reportedly contracted Covid-19 on Sunday, ahead of a later announcement that her virtual engagements would be cancelled
- Social media was thrown into a frenzy in the early morning hours of Wednesday as netizens attempted to make sense of the report
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LONDON - An unconfirmed report has surfaced on social media in the last few hours suggesting that Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, has passed away.
The rumours first started swirling before midnight on Tuesday, 22 February. It is understood that The Queen, 95, was revealed to have tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday. A statement released from Buckingham Palace cited she was only experiencing mild symptoms and would continue doing "light work".
Source: Getty Images
However, it emerged on Monday through widespread reporting that Her Majesty, who is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee this year, would no longer partake in virtual engagements due to her Covid symptoms, IOL reported.
Festivities marking her 70 years on the throne are taking place across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. The Queen is the first British monarch to reach this milestone.
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People reported that in addition to her latest health setback, The Queen is also dealing with royal family scandals, not least of which is Prince Andrew's settlement with his sexual assault accuser.
Sources shared the information
The publication further reported that the 2020 departure of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle was another prominent setback facing the royal household.
In a story published on its website and shared on social media, HollywoodUnlocked cited that sources close to the Royal Kingdom informed them that The Queen had passed away.
"She also cancelled her planned virtual engagements as she continued to suffer from the 'mild Covid-19 symptoms.' No further details surrounding her death have been shared. She was 95-years-old," read an excerpt of the publication's report.
Netizens bicker over claims
Naturally, South Africans were bamboozled by the report and scrambled to get verification, as no other major publications, more so from inside the UK, had broken the news at the time of publishing this story.
Briefly News takes a look at some of the reactions to the unconfirmed reports below.
@iamsodeelishis wrote:
"Ummmm why did I think she would live forever… no like literally forever. #RestEasyQueen."
@titaniusmaximus said:
"She has been dead for a while. They are just ready to say it now. The blessing to Camila, the covid announcement... preparations."
@the_front_paige added:
"I don't [think] she is guys, it's not too late to take this down."
@cate.nma mentioned:
"Until it hits all news platforms on Google, I don’t believe it."
The Queen tests positive for Covid-19
Elsewhere, Briefly News recently reported that Her Royal Majesty tested positive for Covid-19 and is currently only carrying out light duties. The monarch was reported to only be experiencing "mild cold-like symptoms".
Her son, Prince Charles, is believed to have passed the virus on to his mother when they had direct contact. The prince met The Queen in the week that he was diagnosed with the virus.
A number of cases have been reported at Windsor Castle since the meeting. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans to end all Covid-19 restrictions, including self-isolation. He did wish The Queen a swift recovery, according to The Guardian.
Source: Briefly News
