LONDON — A behind-the-scenes rehearsal of how the BBC will handle the death of Queen Elizabeth II ended with an apology Wednesday after one of its reporters mistakenly tweeted that the British monarch had passed away.
Ahmen Khawaja, a reporter working for the BBC’s Urdu-language service, posted on Twitter that the 89-year-old had been taken to hospital. A second tweet announced: “Queen Elizabrth [sic] has died.”
The initial report was picked up by media outlets including CNN Newsource and German newspaper Bild.
However, a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman told NBC News that the queen was not only alive but carrying out public…
Queen Elizabeth II, dressed in royal regalia, posed for this special Jubilee picture in the Throne Room of Buckingham Palace, after she had delivered the traditional Queen's speech at the 1976 official State Opening of Parliament. AFP/Getty ImagesQueen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh having left Buckingham Palace in the Irish State coach for Westminster for the State Opening of Parliament in 1952.Popperfoto/Getty ImagesQueen Elizabeth II drives past the Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace in the Irish State Coach, on her way to take part in the State Opening Of Parliament in 1962.Keystone/Getty ImagesQueen Elizabeth II waves as she travels to the State Opening of Parliament in London in 2007.Daniel Berehulak—Getty ImagesQueen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrive for the State Opening of Parliament, at the Palace of Westminster in London in 2013. Dan Kitwood—ReutersQueen Elizabeth II and the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh proceed through the Royal Gallery during the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords at the Palace of Westminster in London in 2014.Yui Mok—WPA Pool/Getty ImagesQueen Elizabeth II walks in procession from the robing room through the royal gallery to the chamber of the House of Lords in London's Westminster in 1958.APQueen Elizabeth II during the State Opening Of The Parliament in 1966.Gamma-Keystone/Getty ImagesQueen Elizabeth II reads her speech from the throne in the House of Lords as she formally opens the new parliament in London in 1964. APQueen Elizabeth II delivers the Queen's Speech from the Throne in the House of Lords next to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales during the State Opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster in London in 2014. Carl Court—AFP/Getty ImagesQueen Elizabeth II delivers the Queen's Speech next to Prince Phillip during the State Opening of Parliament in the Palace of Westminster in London on May 27, 2015. Ben Stansall—ReutersBritain's Queen Elizabeth II proceeds through the Royal Gallery before the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords, at the Palace of Westminster in London on May 27, 2015. Suzanne Plunkett—Reuters
