King Charles III’s funeral plans have reportedly been updated as he is ‘very unwell’. Here’s what we found

On May 1, 2024, a Facebook account shared an article from his own “nostalgia enthusiast” website, claiming that King Charles III’s funeral plans were updated because his battle with cancer was not going well.

The headline read: “King Charles’ Funeral Plans Updated as His Cancer Prognosis Looks Grim.”

Similar Posts appeared on X, including in the accounts of a series of media outlets, such as New York Post Office, Page six It is Internal article.

Together, the posts have accumulated more than 5.7 million interactions, at the time of writing this article.

But the story originated on the American news website The Daily Beast, according to the New York Post, and cited anonymous sources. On April 25, 2024, The Daily Beast published an exclusive article claiming that the British monarch’s funeral plans were being regularly updated because he was “very unwell”.

The article’s headline read: “King Charles’ funeral plans scrapped as his health remains a mystery.”

The story said:

Friends of the king reportedly told The Daily Beast that his health was “not good,” but the story also said authorities would not respond to formal requests for comment. The site reportedly learned that Charles’ funeral plans were being updated regularly, and a document reviewing what went well after Queen Elizabeth II’s death was being shared by the British government.

The story added that the king was “in really bad shape” and “more so than they are letting on”:

The Daily Beast too posted the article countless times in your Account Xracking up over 144,000 views.

Snopes was unable to substantiate the claims made in the article due to the site’s use of anonymous sources, so we have contacted The Daily Beast for more information, along with Buckingham Palace and the British Cabinet Office, and will update this article if we receive a response.

The British monarch’s health was the focus of another unproven rumor in March 2024, when a celebrity gossip magazine claimed that Charles had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had only two years to live. The magazine article was also based on quotes from anonymous sources.

At the time of writing, Buckingham Palace had only issued two statements about the King’s health since his original press release on February 5, 2024. Neither mentioned that their cancer diagnosis had gotten worse or “looked grim,” while the last statement said Charles “will soon return to public duties after a period of treatment and recovery.”

On May 3, 2024, the monarch he appeared at the Windsor Royal Horse Show in Windsor, Berkshire.

Sources:

‘A statement from Buckingham Palace’. Royal.United KingdomFebruary 5, 2024, https://www.royal.uk/a-statement-from-buckingham-palace-5Feb24.

‘A message of thanks from His Majesty the King’. Royal.United KingdomFebruary 10, 2024, https://www.royal.uk/news-and-activity/2024-02-10/a-thank-you-message-from-his-majesty-the-king.

Hardinges, Nick. ‘Was King Charles III diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given 2 years to live?’ SnopesApril 1, 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/king-charles-pancreatic-cancer/.

‘King Charles embraced by Zara Tindall at the Royal Windsor Horse Show’. BBC NewsMay 3, 2024, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce9rn4qeryro.

Sykes, Tom. ‘King Charles’ funeral plans scrapped as his health remains a mystery’. The Daily BeastApril 25, 2024. www.thedailybeast.com, https://www.thedailybeast.com/king-charles-funeral-plans-dusted-off-as-his-health-remains-a-mystery.

‘The King returns to public duties’. Royal.United KingdomApril 26, 2024, https://www.royal.uk/news-and-activity/2024-04-26/the-king-returns-to-public-facing-duties.

The Royal Family Channel. Cheerful king dazzled at Royal Windsor Horse Show. 2024. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgGJvpPKC6A.