Gossip Site Apologized For Wrongly Reporting Queen Elizabeth Had Died

People all over the globe were shocked to hear that Hollywood Unlocked reported it. Queen ElizabethIt had died. After days passed without any confirmation from Buckingham Palace the site was forced to retract its statements.

‘Hollywood Unlocked’ Apologizes For False Claims

Even though it was pretty clear from the start that there was no truth to this story, the site’s CEO and founder Jason Lee made it worse by doubling down on the story. “We don’t post lies and I always stand by my sources. Waiting for an official statement from the palace,” Lee tweeted

The website has since published a retractio, apologizing to anyone who was misled. HU’s follow-up to the original story is a fact-check on their piece, showing readers what led them to believe they had the correct information. 

“On behalf of our small but mighty team, we want to first say that we heard your concerns and acknowledge the sensitivity around this topic,” the team wrote. “We not only understand the global reach of the British monarchy, but also recognize that above all else The Queen is a mother, grandmother, and beloved public figure who deserves to be approached with respect.”

Given the confusion our original post has caused, Lee and everyone else at this publication would like to take a moment to lay out exactly why HU believed the 95-year-old royal had passed away and felt empowered to report it,” they continued. 

An Inside Look at What Made Them Believe That The Queen Had Passed Away

According to HU Lee was contacted from someone who was attending British Vogue’s editor-in-chief Edward Enniful’s wedding. According to the source, they witnessed a call in which a high-profile guest was informed that the queen had died. The source claimed that other wedding guests heard the news, and were upset.

“​​Given her COVID diagnosis, and the credibility of our original source, Lee then spoke to another source familiar with the British military,” the site explained. “This person confirmed directly to Lee that the palace had been locked down and all the top generals had been summoned to Windsor Castle ‘for an undisclosed reason’ just four hours before Hollywood Unlocked broke the news.”

“Breaking the news that Britain’s longest-reigning monarch has passed is no simple matter and as we previously reported, there is an extensive game plan in place for that occurrence that has been dubbed Operation London Bridge,” they continued, referring to the protocol in place for when Queen Elizabeth dies. “The accounts we received on Tuesday were aligned with the approach of that protocol and appeared to further substantiate claims that Her Majesty’s health had taken a turn for the worse.”

Buckingham Palace still has not publicly commented on the rumors, nor would we expect them to, but it soon became clear to Hollywood Unlocked — and the rest of the world — that it had gotten this one wrong, as we predicted. While it’s admirable that the site is willing to admit they were wrong and apologize, it’s unfortunate that their journalists engaged in such lax reporting practices. 

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