Royals
Buckingham Palace Confirms King Charles III Is Not Dead Following False Death Reports
Buckingham Palace confirmed that King Charles III is alive after a Russian news outlet falsely reported he was dead on Monday, March 18.
The Russian TASS news agency published the following statement with the king’s official seal on it: “The following announcement is made by royal communications. The King passed away unexpectedly yesterday afternoon,” according to The New York Post.
Buckingham Palace quickly shot down the claim in a statement following a whirlwind month for the royal family. “We are happy to confirm that The King is continuing with official and private business,” the statement read.
Charles, 75, previously announced his cancer diagnosis to the world on February 5 following surgery to correct his enlarged prostate. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak provided an update on the king’s health the following day.
“Thankfully, this has been caught early,” he said in a radio interview with the on February 6. “We’ll crack on with everything.”
The palace did not share any further details on the type of cancer Charles has. It was revealed that he would be taking a step back from public-facing duties amid his treatment.
“His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties,” a statement from the palace read. “Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.”
He was seen out in public on February 11 while attending church at the Sandringham estate with Queen Camilla. On March 17, it was reported that Charles was “determined to attend” this year’s Trooping the Colour event in London, per The Daily Mail. Trooping the Colour will mark Charles’ 76th birthday with a celebratory public display made by the king’s troops.
“There are a number of key events His Majesty would love to attend coming up in the diary and this is at the top of the list,” a source told the publication.
The false death reports came amid the royal media frenzy surrounding the whereabouts of Princess Kate Middleton. The Princess of Wales underwent planned abdominal surgery in January and has since been largely absent from the public eye. On March 16, she was seen looking “happy, relaxed and healthy” at a farm shop, per The Sun. The outing reportedly took place one mile from Kate and husband Prince William‘s Adelaide Cottage on the grounds of Windsor.
