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The Queen’s death is a boom time for QAnon and wild conspiracies
The passing of Queen Elizabeth II has sparked a surge in conspiracy theories, with far-right influencers and internet users spreading baseless claims and wild speculation.
While the death of any prominent figure often leads to hoaxes and falsehoods, the Queen's demise has generated an unusually high number of bizarre theories.
Among the unfounded claims gaining traction are a doctored image showing Meghan Markle wearing a shirt that reads “The Queen Is Dead” and QAnon influencers suggesting that Donald Trump had prior knowledge of the Queen's death, indicated through coded messages.
The QAnon community, known for its false belief in a deep-state cabal of human traffickers, saw a proliferation of such conspiracy theories.
One QAnon influencer attempted to decode a message from Trump's Truth Social platform, claiming that the timing hinted at a significant event in the week ahead.
Another influencer linked the Queen's death to QAnon, noting the supposed significance of it occurring “1776 days” after the first Q drop.
These posts were shared widely among QAnon followers.
In addition, a post on the Great Awakening forum, frequented by far-right and QAnon supporters, insinuated there was something suspicious about the Queen's death.
A fake Telegram account associated with Mike Flynn, a former national security adviser and MAGA celebrity, shared a baseless claim that Princess Diana, who died in 1997, would become the new queen.
Furthermore, some QAnon influencers propagated the false notion that Queen Elizabeth II had actually died years ago.
Using symbolic references, they asserted that her death had been concealed until now.
Conspiracy theories surrounding the Queen's death also extended to COVID-19 vaccines, with baseless claims circulating that the vaccine caused her demise.
These claims have been debunked by fact-checking organizations.
Moreover, Meghan Markle, a frequent target of royalists, became the subject of multiple conspiracy theories and false allegations.
One manipulated image circulated on Twitter, showing Markle wearing a shirt with The Smiths' album cover “The Queen Is Dead,” insinuating disrespect towards the Queen.
However, a reverse search revealed that the image had been altered.
Other baseless claims suggested that Markle wore a microphone to the Queen's memorial service based solely on perceived wrinkles in her dress.
The deaths of public figures often serve as triggers for conspiracy theories and provide ammunition for far-right movements to further their agendas.
Even relatively recent celebrity deaths, like that of actress Anne Heche, quickly become entangled in the lore of conspiracy theorists.
Given the Queen's global prominence, her passing has provided an especially fertile ground for conspiracists to exploit and promote their unfounded beliefs.