At age 98, Prince Philip has been declared "dead" on social media many times in the past. With the coronavirus pandemic across the globe affecting millions including celebrities and the royal family, the Duke of Edinburgh was rumored to be dead.
The duke made a surprising request regarding his own funeral services amid fresh concerns over his health.
He recently surpassed a brief spell in the hospital during the holidays and was set on being released in time for Christmas Day.
The reigning monarch's husband wishes for a "no fuss" filled arrangements.
Sources said the Queen's husband has revealed his desires to close family members and has also taken it upon himself to ensure his own memorial arrangements are to his preferences.
A rumor also circulated in January wherein Queen Elizabeth II's husband had died began sweeping Twitter. Users reported hearing the rumor of the purported death at work or "on the street."
A common theme to the tweets claiming that Prince Philip had died involved a delayed public announcement; some said the public would learn in due time of the duke's purported demise, while others had a premonition of an upcoming announcement around January 18, 2020.
Now, he is reportedly highly vulnerable to contract the deadly coronavirus with royal commentator Angela Mollard calling the Duke of Edinburgh a very sick person. "He was in the hospital at Christmas time, so they will be protecting his health at Windsor. There will be doctors on staff."
The palace has confirmed that the elderly royal is still living at a ripe old age.
Many people are concerned about the grandfather of Prince William and Prince Harry.
Twitter was particularly awash with fake news that the Duke of Edinburgh, who turns 99 this June, died. Some wondered if he had passed away due to the novel coronavirus, as elderly people are more vulnerable to the flu-like bug, as well as those with underlying health conditions.
The prince has primarily remained around Sandringham Estate since his retirement in 2017.
Coronavirus cases in the UK have hit 2,626.
The rumors began when an anonymous WhatsApp user claimed that Prince Philip had died.
According to Gareth Davies, breaking news editor at The Telegraph, "RE. rumor the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, is dead - it's nonsense."
"Source close to Buckingham Palace tells me he's absolutely fine."
'Prince Philip' has been trending on Twitter on several occasions last week.
There was no progress or update on Prince Philip's health but the palace would not give a running commentary.
One particular tweet that surfaced online was that he was dead and the first 100 people to arrive at Buckingham Palace can attend the public funeral with the hashtag #RoyalFamily.
Many fans joked about the issue and asked others to put a lid on it. "#PrincePhilip dead? That fella has died more often than Tottenham's trophy quest."
The 98-year-old husband of the Queen retired from public life in 2017.
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