The BBC has apologised and launched an internal inquiry after a tweet sent from the account of one of its producers said Queen Elizabeth II had died, during a test of coverage for a royal death.
The first of a series of tweets was sent from the account of broadcast reporter Ahmen Khawaja around 9:30am (local time), and said: “BREAKING: Queen Elizabeth is being treated at King Edward 7th Hospital in London. Statement due shortly”.
Ms Khawaja then added: “Queen Elizabrth (sic) has died,” according to a screen shot published by British media.
The tweets sparked a storm on social networks and the rumours about the Queen's health were picked up by numerous international media outlets.
Ms Khawaja, a producer for BBC's Urdu-language service, apologised immediately for the "false alarm" and deleted the messages, saying: "Phone left unattended at home. Silly prank, Apologies for upsetting anyone!".
The corporation later announced it had launched an investigation as part of its disciplinary process.
"During a technical rehearsal for an obituary, tweets were mistakenly sent from the account of a BBC journalist saying a member of the royal family had been taken ill," it said.
"The tweets were swiftly deleted and we apologise for any offence."
Coincidentally, the Queen was in hospital early Wednesday for a check-up, leading Buckingham Palace to send a rare statement on the monarch's health.
"I can confirm that the queen this morning attended her annual medical check-up at the King Edward VII's hospital in London," it said.
"This was a routine, pre-scheduled appointment. The Queen has now left the hospital."
The head of BBC newsgathering, Jonathan Munro, confirmed the rehearsal in an email to staff on Wednesday, according to the Guardian newspaper.
