Fact Check: Are UK flags flying at half-mast and BBC on standby? King Charles conspiracy theories on St. Patrick's Day debunked

King Charles is the latest member of the royal family to be embroiled in a series of conspiracy theories on social media after several tweets proclaimed that the cancer-stricken king died on St. Patrick's Day. The rumors were initiated after alleged sightings of the UK flag flying at half-mast outside government buildings on March 17. This expression usually denoted the death of a sovereign, a royal family member, a foreign Head of State, or a former British PM.

However, these rumors have no evidence, as Community Notes on X fact-checked that the half-mast pictures were reportedly taken during the Queen's death in 2022.

There were also alleged reports of the BBC being on standby for an important Royal Family announcement. However, there have been no official reports from the broadcasting corporation regarding this.

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Conspiracy theories about King Charles' death debunked

The royal family has been surrounded by a myriad of conspiracy theories since Kate Middleton's abdominal surgery on January 16. After a misguided attempt to quell speculations with an edited Mother's Day photo of the Princess and her children, the conspiracy theories gained steam, with the target now shifting from Middleton to King Charles.

The 75-year-old king, who announced that he was undergoing treatment for cancer on February 5, is now in the eye of the storm of speculations about his death, with social media claiming that the flags outside UK government buildings were in half-mast on St.Patrick's Day.

A tweet by @The_Real_Fly, claiming "FLAGS ARE HALF MAST IN ENGLAND," went viral on X, amassing over 545K views at the time of this article. However, the tweet was soon attached with Community Notes that fact-checked the image was taken during Queen Elizabeth's in 2022, saying:

"This post is false. The image in the post is from when the queen died in 2022, not from now."

No reports were published by mainstream media about flags in London flying at half-mast, leading to the theory that the claims were just baseless speculations started on social media.

A second conspiracy theory catching wind on X is that the BBC is now on standby for an "important royal family announcement." This was compounded by people pointing out that the broadcasting giant's logo was switched to black on X, indicating the death of a royal family member.

The BBC has several logos in varying colors, including red, black, and yellow. Reports state that the logo has always been black on this particular page, once again lending no credence to this theory.

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When was King Charles last seen?

King Charles was reportedly pictured leaving Windsor Castle on March 8, shortly after the announcement that his longtime friend Ian Farquhar had died at the King's Highgrove estate. Before this, he met with the High Commissioner of Jamaica and his wife at Buckingham Palace on March 7.

The King is expected to make an appearance at Trooping the Color for his official birthday celebrations on June 15. As per reports, King Charles could be driven in a carriage rather than traditionally riding a horse due to his health.

However, no decision will be made until June after reviewing the King's health and well-being. As he undergoes treatment for his cancer, King Charles has reportedly stepped back from his public duties, with Queen Camilla and Prince Charles sharing his responsibilities between them.