Despite Wild Rumors, Official Sources Say The Queen Is Not Dead And Not Rubbing Horse Paste On Herself

Queen Elizabeth II, ever the subject of death hoaxes and predictions, has been at the center of wild speculation ever since last Sunday when Buckingham Palace announced she tested positive for COVID-19.

"She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all appropriate guidelines," Buckingham Palace said in a statement on the matter.

Speculation about the Queen has intensified over the past year as her public appearances have declined and at one point she stayed overnight in the hospital for an undisclosed reason. Over the past month, several members of the royal family tested positive for COVID-19, including Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla.

As Buckingham Palace is notoriously guarded about what information it shares with the public, many speculated it was potentially hiding more dire news about the Queen's health. In fact, one media outlet, U.S. gossip publication Hollywood Unlocked, reported that the Queen had, in fact, died, writing in an Instagram post, "Sources close to the Royal kingdom notified us exclusively that #QueenElizabeth has passed away. She was scheduled to attend the wedding of British Vogue editor Edward Enninful, but was found dead. Story developing."

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A post shared by HOLLYWOOD UNLOCKED (@hollywoodunlocked)

Buckingham Palace swiftly denied the story, and many doubted Hollywood Unlocked's credibility, but site founder Jason Lee stuck to his guns, saying, "We don’t post lies and I always stand by my sources. Waiting for an official statement from the palace." The oddness of the situation led to a slew of jokes on Twitter.

There’s actually tears in my eyes, Jason Lee said the royal family told him first 😭😭😭😭

— beks (@bekstfu_) February 22, 2022

Man said “sources close to the Royal Kingdom” like this is Shrek . Jason Lee is a menace 😭😭

— Politics For Gorgeous Gorgeous Girls (@blixberrie) February 22, 2022

hollywood unlocked reporter accidentally pressing publish on their queen elizabeth is dead draft pic.twitter.com/ZGImHLDti1

— ¹⁰ (@aaIiyaan) February 22, 2022

Me calling TMZ to confirm if Queen Elizabeth is really dead: pic.twitter.com/dhG73tIAoN

— Mamba Out 💜✌🏾 (@BLM_004) February 22, 2022

Meanwhile, a parallel rumor that the Queen was taking the highly controversial ivermectin treatment started swirling on social media. A clip from the Australian TV news program A Current Affair about the Queen's condition showed Doctor Mukesh Hawikerwal discussing treatments for COVID-19. While the voiceover talked about "new medicines currently approved for high-risk patients and Australian hospitals," the screen briefly showed a prescription for ivermectin. Neither the doctor featured in the spot nor the voiceover directly advocated for the use of ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment.

Press pause at 0:19. pic.twitter.com/JMHHq8Wfn8

— Caldron Pool (@CaldronPool) February 21, 2022

The clip was quickly grabbed by ivermectin proponents, who perverted it to claim the mass media was now calling ivermectin a "miracle cure."

They are now claiming ivermectin is a new miracle drug that can save lives. You can’t make this stuff up https://t.co/YSP8Pu9MUc

— ELIJAH 🇺🇸🇦🇺 (@ElijahSchaffer) February 21, 2022

But I thought Ivermectin was horse paste? https://t.co/CyxqUYah9G

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) February 21, 2022

Dr. Haikerwal expressed his displeasure at the clip and released a public statement shortly after.

"Ivermectin never even came into the conversation," Haikerwal said. "I said there are medications available for people who are vulnerable … I didn’t even name them, but it was obviously sotrovimab. It certainly wouldn’t be ivermectin. I wouldn’t recommend it."

Furthermore, Australia's Channel 9 apologized for the clip, saying the shot shouldn't have been included and was a "result of human error."

"We do not suggest the Queen is using ivermectin," they wrote.

As of this morning, all that can be definitively stated is that the Queen is said to be alive and there is no evidence to suggest she is taking ivermectin, but these facts will likely do little to quell rumors about the Queen's alive-ness until she returns to the public eye.