Insider

Major Brazilian newspaper “kills” Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II. Photo: Alessia Pierdomenico/Shutterstock
Queen Elizabeth II. Photo: Alessia Pierdomenico/Shutterstock

In an editorial blunder, Folha de S. Paulo — Brazil’s biggest newspaper — mistakenly published the obituary of the United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II in its online edition.

The swiftly deleted article stated that “Queen Elizabeth II, who for more than seven decades sat on the British throne and became a symbol of monarchy around the world, died this XXXXXXX, at XX years old, due to XXXXXXX.” The 95-year-old monarch contracted Covid earlier this year, which reportedly left her “exhausted” during an official press appearance this week, via video link.

queen elizabeth
A screen shot of Queen Elizabeth II’s mistakenly published obituary

News outlets customarily prepare obituaries in advance for prominent figures, but accidentally hitting “publish” ahead of time is among the biggest fears of online editors around the world. Today’s gaffe instantly sparked a wave of memes on Brazilian social media.