Royal Family

Did Meghan Markle's mother, Doria Ragland, announce that her granddaughter Lilibet, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, most commonly referred to as Harry and Meghan, has Down syndrome? No, she didn't. Plus the pictures used to illustrate the claim are not of Lilibet, they are photos of other children. The claim originated in this November 7, 2021,…

Does Bob Cratchit, a character from the Charles Dickens classic novella "A Christmas Carol" make the equivalent of $530.27 a week, which is more than the current weekly federal minimum wage in the United States? Probably not: The novella, set in Victorian-era London, states that Cratchit is paid 15 "bob" -- a colloquial term for British shillings -- per week…

Did 108 FIFA-registered players and coaches die in six months of 2021, as stated in a viral tweet? No, this claim is unsubstantiated. The number cited in the post, 108, seems to have originated from a source making a different claim that was not specific to FIFA, nor even the sport of soccer, nor a six month time frame. A…

Was a Florida court told that Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota was recruited by Qatar, received money from that country, and passed "sensitive intel" to Iran through intermediates? Yes, but the statements were made in a deposition during a lawsuit that had nothing to do with Omar and no evidence was presented to prove it was truthful testimony. The lawsuit was…

Was Edward Mordake a man born with a second face on the back of his head that could laugh, cry and whisper horrible things to him? No, that's not true: The legend of Edward Mordake, sometimes called Mordrake, appears to have begun as a work of fiction by writer Charles Lotin Hildreth in 1895. The account of Mordake's life tortured…

Did Romana Didulo become commander in chief of Canada? No, that's not true: according to a spokesperson from the Canadian government, the head of state of Canada is still Queen Elizabeth II and the head of government is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Didulo is simply the leader of Canada1st, a group that is not "part of or beholden to the…

Did Queen Elizabeth laugh at Prince Philip pranking her dressed as a palace guard? No, that's not true: Queen Elizabeth II was photographed in 2003 laughing while standing next to her husband but he did not trick her by dressing up as one of the household guards, causing her to crack up. He was officially escorting her wearing his full…

Was Oprah Winfrey wearing an ankle monitor during her interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry? No, that's not true. Video shows the billionaire TV mogul was wearing a pair of boots on which creases and folds naturally moved as she changed position during her March 7, 2021, interview with the royal couple that aired on CBS. Nicole Nichols, spokesperson…

Abbie Richards, a climate science student in the Netherlands, was looking with bewilderment at the state of her home country of the United States. So many conspiracy theories echoing, particularly ahead of the election. Struggling to wrangle all of them for a paper, she made a chart naming some 100 conspiracies dominating the social media world to, she hoped, make…

Did Canada on Sept. 8, 2020, criminalize government measures that require the wearing of masks, as well as social distancing, vaccinations, and other protective measures that help thwart the spread of COVID-19? No, that is not true. The national government has made no such declaration. The claim refers to a made-up "Republic of Kanata" that claims to trump the powers…