Did Queen Elizabeth Die? Rumors About The Queen's Death

The Queen is doing just fine, thank you very much. Yesterday, a rumor that the monarch had died began to gain traction on Twitter, even getting #QueenElizabeth trending for a time—but royal experts were quick to shut down to ruse.

A screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation seems to have started the hubbub. It shows messages sent between "Gibbo" and "Ricey" (likely not made-up names at all), which purports to share a memo sent to the royal guards, announcing the Queen's passing. Even Ricey finds his friend's news dubious, replying, "Yer balls, has to be a wind up." (Gibbo and Ricey are not concerned with properly using the Queen's English, it seems.)

Some royal watchers began to fall for the mean-spirited prank, causing experts to step in and assure the public that the Queen was doing just fine. "I see we have reached that time of year where I have to dispel rumours of HM's passing," Charlie Proctor, editor-in-chief of the blog Royal Central, tweeted. "The Queen is not dead." By "that time of year," Proctor was nodding to the fact that similar rumors spring up with some regularity, both about the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip.

After it became clear that Queen Elizabeth was just fine, the floodgates were open for Queen rising-from-the-dead memes, jokes at Gibbo and Ricey's expense, and all other manner of quality tweets. Feel free to enjoy, knowing that the beloved British monarch is alive and well.