The Duke of Edinburgh has died, The Daily Telegraph accidentally and wrongly announced this morning.
A templated story for the death of the very much living duke, with blanks left to be filled in, appeared on the newspaper’s website as he prepared for his 22,219th and last solo engagement.
The headline read: “HOLD HOLD HOLD Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, dies aged XX.”
The article said: “The Duke of Edinburgh, the longest-serving consort to a monarch in British history, has died at the age of XX, Buckingham Palace has announced.
“Prince Philip, whom the Queen described as her ‘strength and stay’ during her record-breaking reign, passed away XXXXXXX
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“FILL IN DETAILS
“He will be given a royal ceremonial funeral in line with his wishes, which is expected to take place in seven days’ time.”
A note preceded the piece, reading: “This file needs to be a living file — and will serve Apple News as well as be the main news story. Please stick to the format below.”
Rachel Anderson, a producer at Sky commenting on Twitter, said: “Someone at the @Telegraph is about to have a very bad day #PrincePhilip.”
A spokesman for the newspaper said: “We sincerely apologise for the mistake that was made this morning, which was of course rectified immediately. We will be reviewing our publishing processes as a matter of urgency.”
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In May, when Prince Philip announced that he would be retiring from public engagements, The Sun made a similar mistake. Its headline, which was likewise hastily removed, read: “Prince Philip dead at 95, how did the Duke of Edinburgh die, etc etc.”
Both announcements exemplify the detailed preparations made for royal deaths. When the Queen dies, for instance, broadcasters will put on black suits and ties as Radio 4 proclaims solemnly: “This is the BBC from London.”
During his final engagement, the 96-year-old duke took part in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace honouring Royal Marines who have taken part the 1664 Global Challenge, a series of endurance tests raising money for charity.