London, UK - Dozens of Russian media outlets falsely declared King Charles III dead on Monday, leading to confusion and fury throughout the UK.

The shock announcement that Charles had died at the age of 75 was suddenly broadcast in Russia on Monday by the state news agency Sputnik, among others.

At the same time, a picture of a clearly falsified statement bearing the coat of arms of Buckingham Palace was circulated on social media, announcing the monarch's "unexpected death."

The fake death notice initially spread on the Russian-language part of the internet on Monday afternoon, fueled by sensationalist Telegram channels.

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Several British media outlets, including the Daily Mail, then reported on the news before British embassies in Russia and Ukraine rejected the claims.

"We would like to inform you that the news about the death of King Charles III is fake," government representatives in Kyiv said.

Buckingham Palace also informed the Russian news agency TASS: "We are happy to confirm that The King is continuing with official and private business."

The nasty propaganda prank involving the monarch followed criticism from the UK and other Western countries of Vladimir Putin's presidential "victory" in a showpiece election.

The first media outlets to spread the fake news were RIA, Sputnik, Readovka, and Mash – all staunch Putin supporters – but they later corrected their reports.

But by this point, millions of people had already read the shocking hoax, as the hashtag #RoyalAnnouncement trended on X for several hours.

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, joined in the controversy and wrote: "London looks pathetic."

With the claims disproven, Charles, who was diagnosed with cancer last month, was back to work on Tuesday as he met with veterans of the Korean War.

The latest rumors come amid the so-called "Kategate" as royal watchers continue to speculate about the well-being of Kate Middleton despite new footage of the Princess of Wales out at a farmer's market.