Queen IS ALIVE: Buckingham Palace forced to set record straight after sick trolls announce

GETTY/ Twitter

Queen Elizabeth II was at the centre of sick death rumours

The internet was ablaze with suggestions the monarch had died following a tweet from a hoax BBC account

Panic spread as Britons and fans from all over the world set out to find out if the news was true.

The Queen had missed the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham for the first time this year, due to illness.

The news she missed the annual event had already sparked fears over her health.

Sick trolls pounced on the opportunity and suggested Buckingham Palace was withholding the news of her death.

GETTY

The fake account was believed by many due to its fake BBC logo and name

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And the internet rumours soon became out of control.

One person claimed to have spotted news teams setting up outside the Palace in Central London.

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The monarch has a cold but is still alive, the palace confirmed

Conspiracy theorists accused the media of a cover up that they alleged would last until 8am Friday morning, using the hashtag #mediablackout to spread their claims.

The official Royal press team at first declined to comment on the health of the pair.

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The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh continue to recover from their heavy colds

Buckingham Palace

However, a Buckingham Palace spokesman today responded to requests of an update on the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

He said: “The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh continue to recover from their heavy colds.”