British Royal Family

Did Meghan Markle say she would leave the U.S. in response to Donald Trump's election, as a post on Facebook implies? No, that's not true: Lead Stories could not find proof that the wife of Prince Harry said that. Commentators have only speculated on the possibility that she might want to leave the U.S. following Trump's election. The claim appeared…

Did Donald Trump demand on March 19, 2024, that Prince Harry leave the United States? No, that's not true: In an interview posted online that day, the GOP presidential nominee said only that his administration would take "appropriate action" if shown findings that the prince had "lied" in his U.S. visa application about drug use. Trump switched to a different…

Did a source close to the British royal family say that Catherine, Princess of Wales, was "sacrificed" or "murdered," and then "replaced" with a "body double"? No, that's not true: The article that made the claim was published by a website known for spreading false claims and is not corroborated by any evidence. The article didn't include any direct quotes…

Does a viral image show the national flag of the United Kingdom, also known as the Union Jack, "flying at half-mast at some Government Buildings" in the UK in March 2024? No, that's not true: The photo was taken in 2022. It captured the lowered flag after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Are Pope Francis, the late Queen Elizabeth II and U.S. President Joe Biden members of the same family? No, that's not true: There is no evidence supporting this online rumor, which recycles a 24-year-old conspiracy theory. The claim appeared in a post on Instagram on October 14, 2022. The caption says: I KNOW SOME WEIRD SHIT WHEN I SEE SOME…

Is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, the American wife of Britain's Prince Harry, "a clone or robot"? No, that's not true: The videos repeating this claim borrowed footage from the 2018 Madam Tussaud's live figures events, when actors put on latex masks to impersonate the real couple. The claim about the former Meghan Markle resurfaced in a TikTok video (archived here)…

Do social media videos show a man protesting at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, 2022? No, that's not true: The video is from a 2007 service at Westminster Abbey marking the 200th anniversary of the act to abolish the slave trade in Britain. Human rights campaigner Toyin Agbetu interrupted the commemorative service. One of the claims…

Is the United Kingdom's current head of state, Charles III, expected not to become the country's crowned king? No, that's not true: Upon the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, Charles, the prince of Wales, became King Charles III. The clickbait title of a video that suggests otherwise is false and is designed to make…

Did King Charles III sign a proclamation that former President Donald Trump actually won the 2020 presidential election in the U.S.? No, that's not true: The claim uses a screenshot of Charles signing documents related to his accession to the throne. The claim appeared in a tweet (archived here) posted on September 10, 2022. The tweet included a picture of…

Did the television show "The Simpsons" predict Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022? No, that's not true: An image showing the queen in a coffin with the dates 1926-2022 is not a real still from "The Simpsons." The queen's death does not appear in any episodes of this series. Lead Stories previously debunked a claim that used a similar image…