In a bizarre turn of events, Russian outlets, including Sputnik, have spread a phony claim about the untimely demise of King Charles III of Great Britain. The false report was based on a grainy and clearly manipulated screenshot of a Buckingham Palace memorandum, which stated that the king had passed away unexpectedly. However, both Russian and British media have discredited the claim.

Russian news wire TASS and the Kremlin's newspaper, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, denounced their competitors for disseminating disinformation, while the British embassy in Moscow took to social media to debunk the rumor. The embassy's post, written in Russian, unequivocally stated that the reports of the king's death were fake.

While this peculiar fake news item garnered attention, it comes at a time when the British royal family is already facing real challenges. King Charles III's recent cancer diagnosis and Princess Kate Middleton's public absence following abdominal surgery earlier this year have added to the family's troubles.

Interestingly, the palace itself has been caught in another scandal involving manipulated media. Amid speculation and confusion surrounding Middleton's absence, Kensington Palace's social media accounts suddenly sprung to life with a photo of the princess and her three children, all beaming with joy. However, the photo was deemed to be doctored, leading major news outlets like the Associated Press, New York Times, and the Washington Post to retract it. AFP even declared that it would no longer consider Kensington Palace as a trusted source.

The source of the phony royal memoir about King Charles III's death remains unknown. While the manipulation of media by the palace itself raised eyebrows, this particular false claim has prompted both Russian and British media to take a closer look at the credibility of news sources.

As the royal family navigates through these challenging times, the dissemination of misinformation serves as a reminder of the importance of reliable and verified news sources in the digital age.