King Charles conspiracy theory takes the internet by storm

Duchess Kate conspiracy theorists appear to have shifted their attention to Charles III after unsubstantiated rumors about an impending “very important royal announcement” spread online.

The Princess of Wales has not been seen in a clear, verifiable photograph since Christmas Day, after it emerged that images released by Kensington Palace had been doctored.

Speculation is heating up, and many on X (ex-Twitter) seem convinced that the Palace is hiding something.

The frenzied atmosphere over the weekend threatened to engulf the monarch after seemingly unsubstantiated rumors that the BBC events team had been advised to prepare for a major announcement.

one post, Viewed 1.5 million times“The BBC has reportedly been told to be on the lookout for a ‘very important’ announcement from the royal family.

“BBC event production has reportedly been told to be on the lookout for a ‘major announcement’ from the royal family due to the current health crisis.”

This led to speculation in some quarters that the king had died, but news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death leaked out so quickly that many journalists learned of it hours before Prince Harry’s death. Given that, readers could be forgiven for thinking that this is impossible.

The UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, will be the first to be notified, followed by UK Cabinet members. This means that the news will be passed on to a large number of UK government civil service staff.

When Elizabeth died, the press was indeed tipped off, and presenters began to appear dressed all in black in preparation for the news announcement.

However, there is no clear reason or explanation why the BBC has not received an announcement several days after being told to prepare it. newsweek It is understood the King will continue in a reduced capacity this week, as he has since his cancer diagnosis.

One version of this theory was highlighted in the community over the weekend by The source is a false rumor.

“This is according to the Instagram page ‘Popalogist’ who also states that BBC Events only covers weddings, coronations and funerals, which they do not.”

more conspiracy theories That included the BBC changing its profile picture to black, but according to another community note, its profile picture actually remained that color for at least a month.

Still, that hasn’t stopped speculation that Charles has passed away from spreading like wildfire on social media, with speculation becoming increasingly extreme and the fact that real people experiencing real health issues It seems like little thought has been given to it.

In fact, a court circular in the Royal Diary records that Charles met with the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, the Baroness of Scotland, on 13 March. The prime minister released a public video address to mark Commonwealth Day on March 11, and has held multiple face-to-face meetings with the prime minister in recent weeks while undergoing cancer treatment.

“Processed photo controversy”

The speculation all started after social media accounts pointed out that it was unusual for no pictures of Kate to be shown at all to reassure the public that her surgery was a success.

Theories continued to surface in the weeks leading up to the Duchess Kate releasing a doctored image of herself with her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis on Mother’s Day in the UK.

In the aftermath, four film companies “killed” the picture, citing signs that the image had been manipulated, while AFP suggested Kensington Palace was no longer considered a reliable source of information.

Kate and William, who took the doctored photo, have been under pressure to release the original or a more reliable replacement, but more than a week later, no new announcements have been made by their aides. Not yet.

Reputation management consultant Eric Schiffer said: newsweek: “She underwent major surgery. It’s normal to have a hard time. The Palace is working hard to let people see a different side. It’s okay to have time, that’s normal.”

“Younger generations want transparency. What Kate and William did a great job of is trying to provide transparency.”

“Nobody is ever at their best after surgery,” he continued. “Then we saw Palace trying to tone it down with a slightly over-the-top shot, this time turning away from the camera, which raised further questions.

“They have to decide what kind of Kate they want to show. Do they want to show the real Kate or the Kate they’re making?

“And I think they’re satisfied by showing that Kate goes through something that a normal person would go through, which is that recovering from surgery isn’t that easy.

“And that builds even more trust, and there’s nothing that isn’t elevated in the process. You don’t have to elevate everything all the time, including the surgical experience.”

jack royston is newsweekRoyal correspondent based in London. He can be found on his X (formerly Twitter). @Jack Royston and read his story Newsweek’s Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, Prince William and Duchess Kate, Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry or their families that you’d like answered by our experienced royal correspondents? Email royals@newsweek.com. We look forward to hearing from you.