BBC begins investigation after Buckingham Palace was forced to deny Queen is unwell after reporter tweets ‘false alarm’ during obituary rehearsal

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A rogue tweet by a BBC reporter after an obituary rehearsal led several major international news organisations to wrongly report that Queen Elizabeth had been admitted to hospital.

The BBC said the error was a result of a training exercise, contradicting the reporter’s own tweet, which said a prankster had got hold of her phone. The Guardian understands the BBC is undertaking an investigation as part of its disciplinary procedures.

Buckingham Palace denied any suggestion the monarch is unwell after erroneous breaking news reports said she had been admitted to King Edward VII’s hospital, a private facility in Marylebone, London.

The BBC said it was carrying out a “category-one obituary rehearsal” when the reporter mistakenly sent the tweet. But in an apparent coincidence that may have compounded the confusion, the Queen was also attending hospital for her annual medical checkup.

The news that she was in hospital originally came from the Twitter account of a BBC Urdu reporter Ahmen Khawaja.

According to screenshots on NBC News, Khawaja initially tweeted that the Queen had died, then retracted, saying the Queen was being treated in hospital.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The BBC reporter’s tweet Photograph: Twitter

Khawaja later deleted the original tweet and called it a false alarm. A few minutes afterwards, she tweeted that she had left her phone unattended and said the tweet had been a “silly prank”. This later tweet has also been deleted and Khawaja’s Twitter account appears to have been closed.

Ahmen Khawaja (@AhmenKhawaja) phone left unattended at home. Silly prank, Apologies for upsetting anyone!

The BBC press office’s statement directly contradicted Khawaja’s explanation of a prank, saying the accidental tweet had been linked to the training exercise.

“During a technical rehearsal for an obituary, tweets were mistakenly sent from the account of a BBC journalist saying that a member of the royal family had been taken ill,” a spokesperson said. “The tweets were swiftly deleted and we apologise for any offence.”

The corporation’s statement concentrated on the tweet where Khawaja had announced the Queen was in hospital.

But a spokesman later said they were “not in a position to deny” Khawaja had in fact sent an earlier false tweet announcing the Queen’s death.

US news channel CNN was forced to recall a tweet it sent about the Queen being in hospital, saying it was sent in error.

CNN Newsource (@CNNNewsource) Affiliates, please disregard our previous tweet about Queen Elizabeth. It was sent in error.

Other news outlets that reported the false story included the German newspaper Bild and the editor of India’s Hindustan Times.

The German newspaper’s tweet reported the Queen was in hospital Photograph: Twitter

Krittivas Mukherjee (@Krittivasm) BREAKING: #Queen Elizabeth is being treated at King Edward 7th Hospital in #London. Statement due shortly.

The head of BBC newsgathering, Jonathan Munro, confirmed details of the rehearsal in an email to staff on Wednesday. “This has been in the diary for some time – there is NO editorial reason why this is happening now,” he said, describing the exercise as a “low-key rehearsal for the way in which television might cover a category-one obituary”.



Only four people are in the BBC’s “category-one” of public figures, a classification reserved for senior members of the royal family: the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and the Duke of Cambridge.

“It’s essential that we can rehearse these sensitive scenarios privately,” said Munro in his email. “BBC tours have been suspended, and the blinds from public areas including reception and the media café will remain dropped. I’d also ask for your help in refraining from any external conversations and all social media activity about this exercise. Your continued discretion will be greatly appreciated.”



Munro added: “It’s mainly a technical procedure looking at the use of the studio. It does not involve any sites outside New Broadcasting House and it will not include radio or online.”

One BBC insider said: “It’s no secret that big media organisations carry out rehearsals for how they would cover the death of a major public figure. But the important thing is you don’t tell anyone you’re doing it.”

The source said the rehearsals were taken very seriously by BBC management and staff. “They are all done in real time and the presenters change into something more sombre, just as they would do if it was the real thing,” the source said.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the Queen had attended hospital on Wednesday morning for a routine and “pre-scheduled” annual checkup.

It took the unusual step of confirming the private medical visit following the flurry of speculation on social media about her health.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “I can confirm that the Queen this morning attended her annual medical checkup at the King Edward VII’s hospital in London. This was a routine, pre-scheduled appointment. The Queen has now left hospital.”