False King Charles death story spread by Russian media outlets

One site tweeted of monarch's purported demise only to later concede: Most likely, the information is fake'

The news broke in the Russian media on Monday afternoon. King Charles III was dead. He was not, but no one really had time to check the details. The saga of the royal family finally had its latest twist: a viral Russian disinformation angle.

The rumour went into overdrive when it was shared on a Telegram channel used by Vedomosti, once Russia's most respected business newspaper. There was a photo of Charles in ceremonial military uniform and the curt caption: British King Charles III has died." It made it through Russian internet channels, including Readovka, a pro-Kremlin Telegram channel with more than 2.35 million subscribers.