Fake BBC account causes Twitter panic with '˜Queen is dead' Tweet

A fake BBC account sparked a panic on Twitter last night after falsely announcing that the Queen had died.
The fake account falsely announced that the Queen had died on Thursday evening.  Picture: PAThe fake account falsely announced that the Queen had died on Thursday evening.  Picture: PA
The fake account falsely announced that the Queen had died on Thursday evening. Picture: PA

The fake account, @BBCNewsUKl, tweeted a picture of the Queen along with the words: “BREAKING: Buckingham Palace announces the death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 90. Circumstances are unknown. More to follow.”

The rumour, which spread like wildfire on social media, quickly led to accusations that the post was true and that the government and mainstream media had acted together to quickly cover up her majesty’s death using the #mediablackout.

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The account was suspended shortly after the post, prompting many others to address the fake news and the conspiracy theories surrounding it, saying that the announcement was false and may in fact have been linked to a series of tweets posting tracks from the The Smiths album, The Queen is Dead.

Many believe the fake story may have received more credence following the news that the Queen’s travel plans to Sandringham House had been postponed due to ill health, and the fact that she was also then absent from the Christmas church service on Christmas Day.

Buckingham Palace stated previously that Her Majesty “continues to recover from a heavy cold and will stay indoors to assist with her recovery” but has yet to make a statement regarding the false announcement.