A US gossip website is claiming that The Queen is dead

"We don’t post lies and I always stand by my sources. Waiting for an official statement from the palace."

Yesterday, the gossip website Hollywood Unlocked and founder Jason Lee claimed in an "exclusive" that The Queen had passed away.

The article, which has since gone viral, reported that The Queen had died prior to an appearance at British Vogue editor Edward Enniful's wedding.

Naturally, Royal fans were shocked and quick to question the speculation, especially given that the website is a far less well-known media outlet than, say, the BBC.

That they could have been the first to break the news was immediately questioned by fans on social media - however, despite these, the Hollywood Unlocked founder Jason Lee is maintaining that the article is, in fact, correct.

The most highly questioned part of the article, and one of the main reasons it has been widely debunked, is the bad English used throughout the article. The article claims that the source was "close to the Royal Kingdom" - which isn't actually a thing. Rather, you'd say a source close to the Royal family, or living in the United Kingdom.

It goes on to add that Her Royal Highness was "scheduled to attend the wedding of British Vogue editor Edward Enninful, but was found dead."

However, fans also dismissed this immediately, saying that The Queen would never have been in attendance at his wedding.

It's important to remember that there are strict protocols in place for when The Queen does die, codenamed "Operation London Bridge" and involving the most high ranking Royal personnel only.

While there is potential for such news to be leaked to the press before Buckingham Palace officially announce the news, it's unlikely, given the protocols they have in place.

Memes mocking the article have been going viral on Twitter, with many openly mocking the article and referencing Shrek, the movie, as a comment on their use of "Royal Kingdom" within the copy.

There is no evidence at this time that The Queen has passed away and Metro.co.uk report that, while they have approached the Palace to address the speculation, they said "they would not entertain commenting on such a story."

Operation London Bridge is believed to involve what's known as a "call cascade", whereby a string of important people - including the Prime Minister, Cabinet Secretary and so on - are notified of the news.

Following that process, Buckingham Palace will release their official statement announcing the news to the Press Association news agency, who will share the notification with global media simultaneously.

This comes the same week as Buckingham Palace officials have confirmed that the Queen has tested positive for Covid. Wishing her a speedy recovery.