No, Queen Elizabeth Has Not Died
The accounts impersonated the BBC.
At least two hoax Twitter accounts designed to look like the BBC tried to spread a false claim that Queen Elizabeth II has died.
@BBCNewsUKI/twitter
The @BBCNewsUKI account is unverified and its bio miscapitalizes "UK". It has since been suspended, but not before getting more than 400 retweets for its false claim.
Screenshot/Twitter
Another fake account with the handle @ClassyCountinho tweeted the same false claim.
@ClassyCoutinho/Twitter
But one look at the account page reveals it's clearly fake.
The account later deleted its tweet about the queen.
The accounts managed to fool some influential people on Twitter. Gérard Araud, the French ambassador to the US, fell for the hoax and later corrected himself.
@GerardAraud/Twitter
@GerardAraud/Twitter
A writer for the Hollywood Reporter and the founder of research firm EKOS were also fooled.
@PamelaDayM/Twitter
@VoiceOfFranky/Twitter
The Queen's health has been a topic of discussion since Buckingham Palace announced she would miss Christmas mass due to a "heavy cold."
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Jane Lytvynenko is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in Toronto, Canada. PGP fingerprint: A088 89E6 2500 AD3C 8081 BAFB 23BA 21F3 81E0 101C.
Contact Jane Lytvynenko at jane.lytvynenko@buzzfeed.com.
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