Royal Family

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…

Did the late Queen Elizabeth II say she wished Jesus Christ would return in her lifetime so she could "lay her crown at His feet?" No, that's not true: Queen Elizabeth II did not make those comments. They were first published in a book in 1902 and were attributed to Queen Victoria by a former dean of Canterbury, a senior…

Did a video posted to Facebook in September 2022 show the body of the late Queen Elizabeth II being placed into a coffin? No, that's not true: The video in question was originally posted to social media more than three weeks prior to the queen's September 8, 2022, death. While the post does not make the claim outright, its timing…

Did Queen Elizabeth II make it known that she does not wish any of her dogs to go on living in the event of her death? No, that's not true: Suggestions that the queen wanted all surviving dogs euthanized at the time of her death are satirical. A 2015 article on vanityfair.com included anecdotes from horse trainer Monty Roberts about…

Was a debt jubilee, the cancellation of a broad range of debts from the public record, "officially declared" after Queen Elizabeth II's death? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, no such announcement has been made. The man who posted the rumor online was promoting his online store selling precious metals. The claim appeared in a Facebook post…