When Russia’s state-run media finished cheerleading Vladimir Putin’s victory in Tuesday’s presidential contest, the news agency TASS ran a press release declaring the death of the United Kingdom’s King Charles III.
Charles may be undergoing two months of treatment for prostate cancer, but he remains alive and well at age 75, according to a Tuesday statement from Buckingham Palace. “We are happy to confirm that The King is continuing with official and private business,” the palace told TASS in a statement.
One of the U.K.’s embassies put it even more bluntly. “The news about the death of King Charles III is fake,” it said.
Some media channels in Russia issued retractions Tuesday, in Russian media’s latest international embarrassment.
TASS started the rumor by running a dubious “announcement” bearing the seal of Buckingham Palace. “The following announcement is made by royal communications. The King passed away unexpectedly yesterday afternoon,” the document said.
Pro-Moscow channels on Telegram spread the weakly substantiated rumor at a downright astonishing pace.
“Britain’s King Charles III has died, Buckingham Palace reports. The son of Elizabeth II ascended the throne less than a year ago – the coronation took place on May 6, 2023. He was 75 years old,” the Telegram channel Mash told its 2.27 million subscribers, according to an investigation by the New York Post.
According to the NY Post, the rumor later spread through other news agencies, including Sputnik, Readkovka, and RIA Novosti.
Some of these channels issued retractions. “Abort, we spoke too soon, the announcement turned out to be a fake,” Mash reportedly wrote on Telegram. “Let us remember that a few months ago he was diagnosed with cancer and performed surgery on his prostate.”
In 2022, the 73-year-old Charles made U.K. history as the oldest monarch at the time of accession. By comparison, his immediate predecessor became monarch at the age of 25.
The king has made several public appearances since beginning his treatment for prostate cancer. In fact, he was seen driving to Buckingham Palace the day after revealing his diagnosis.
Meanwhile, his daughter-in-law Kate Middleton — another royal — has fueled speculation about her health by retiring from the public eye. Middleton, 42, underwent abdominal surgery in January, and she snowballed the rumors even further by posting an uncannily Photoshopped picture of herself with her three kids (In the photo posted earlier this month, Kate’s daughter was missing part of her wrist.)
Take a look at this blunt statement from the U.K.’s embassy in Ukraine —
🇬🇧 We would like to inform you that the news about the death of King Charles III is fake. pic.twitter.com/Ilg2GZn0mo
— UK in Ukraine 🇬🇧🇺🇦 (@UKinUkraine) March 18, 2024
The Horn editorial team