When The Queen Dies, Rest Assured You Won’t Find Out From A Random Gossip Blog
Queen Elizabeth is very much alive, no matter what Hollywood Unlocked says.
Queen Elizabeth is still alive and well — or, as well as one can be while infected with COVID-19 at 95 — but you’d be forgiven for thinking she had passed, if you get your breaking news from Hollywood Unlocked.
On February 22, entertainment blog Hollywood Unlocked “broke” the news that the longest-reigning monarch — Queen Elizabeth II — had died.
“Sources close to the Royal Palace notified us exclusively that #QueenElizabeth has passed away,” Hollywood Unlocked wrote on Instagram. “She was scheduled to attend the wedding of British Vogue editor Edward Enninful, but was found dead. Story developing.”
The post came just hours after Buckingham Palace confirmed the Queen was recovering from COVID-19, but would not be engaging in any virtual events and will stick to “light duties” until she feels better. This isn’t particularly shocking considering COVID-19 can knock you for a six at the best of times, let alone when you’re 95 years old.
What Actually Happens When Queen Elizabeth Dies?
It’s no surprise — given both her age and the fact she’s the longest-reigning monarch in British history — that there’s an iron-clad plan for what happens when she eventually passes.
The plan — codenamed Operation London Bridge — details pretty much every moment for the first 10 days after her passing. This includes where her coffin will be held, when the Prime Minister will address the nation, and every other detail regarding her death and Prince Charles’ rise to the throne.
As for the media being informed, historically, the BBC has always been the first outlet to be informed of a royal death. However, when the Queen dies, the announcement will simultaneously go out to all major news outlets via the Press Association.
At the same time as the media receives the news, a black noticeboard will be pinned to the gates of Buckingham Palace announcing the news, which will also be reflected on the Palace website.
It would be extremely unlikely — if not impossible — for the news to be leaked, and even less likely that it would be leaked to Hollywood Unlocked.
Hollywood Unlocked Hasn’t Retracted Its Statement
The original post declaring Queen Elizabeth dead is still live on Hollywood Unlocked’s Instagram at the time of publishing — although, it’s worth noting that the platform has flagged it as misinformation.
However, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, an apology — reportedly from Hollywood Unlocked — surfaced.
“Our deepest apologies goes out to the #RoyalFamily and all involved in this embarrassing situation,” Hollywood Unlocked reportedly wrote in a now-deleted tweet. “It was an accident and we’re working hard to make sure that this mistake never happens again. The intern journalist was misinformed and published the draft post by mistake. – HU,” the statement read.
But Hollywood Unlocked CEO Jason Lee (no, not the guy from My Name Is Earl) has denied the statement’s legitimacy and continues to assert he is telling the truth and that Queen Elizabeth actually is dead.
“Woke up to some fake account posting a retraction,” he wrote on Twitter. “We do not know that account and we have not retracted our story. There has yet to be an official statement from the Palace. Staying tuned.”
We don’t post lies and I always stand by my sources. Waiting for an official statement from the palace.
— Jason Lee (@theonlyjasonlee) February 22, 2022