Memes share fake Queen Elizabeth II quote about Hillary Clinton

Queen Elizabeth II has been falsely attributed with a quote suggesting that she had information that could lead to the arrest of Hillary Clinton.

Social media posts claiming this statement have been circulating, but there is no evidence to support the claim.

The quote aligns with a long-standing conspiracy theory that accuses the former secretary of state and her husband of murdering their political opponents.

The fake quote, “I have information that will lead to the arrest of Hillary Clinton,” was shared on Instagram on September 9, 2022.

Similar versions of the message appeared on Facebook and Instagram, featuring screenshots that purportedly showed Twitter pages associated with the queen.

Impersonator Twitter accounts also repeated the quote.

These posts emerged following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96.

Buckingham Palace announced that she passed away peacefully at Balmoral, the royal family's residence in Scotland.

While some social media users took the posts seriously, it is important to note that the quote is entirely fabricated.

AFP conducted a thorough search and found no record of the queen ever making such a statement about Clinton, who is a former US presidential candidate and secretary of state.

The images shared online showcase various Twitter handles, including @queenelizabeth and @queenelizabethII.

However, the former account has been suspended, and the latter account does not exist.

Another widely shared image suggests that the official Twitter account of the royal family claimed the queen possessed information about Clinton's alleged criminal activities.

Nevertheless, both live and archived versions of the page demonstrate that this account has never posted anything regarding Clinton.

Fabricated tweets that purport to show public figures revealing incriminating information about Clinton are part of a long-established internet meme.

This meme is built upon accusations that Clinton and her husband, former US president Bill Clinton, are responsible for the deaths of several political adversaries.

These baseless claims trace back to the 1990s and have contributed to the proliferation of other conspiracy theories, including QAnon.

One reason why this meme has endured is because it functions like a game, according to Mike Caulfield, a research scientist at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public.

Caulfield describes the “Clinton Body Count” conspiracy theory as one of the simplest misinformation games available, as it allows participants to connect any prominent death to the Clintons through their wide network of political connections.

Past iterations of this meme have targeted individuals such as former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev, basketball legend Kobe Bryant, and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain.

It is worth noting that AFP has fact-checked other misinformation surrounding the queen's death, which can be found in a separate article.