The Surprising Reason Queen Elizabeth Death Rumors Went Viral

First things first, Queen Elizabeth II is alive, upright and breathing, despite what any rumors may claim.

Fake news that the Queen of England had passed spread early Monday morning when a screenshot surfaced which appeared to show a conversation with instructions for royal guards.

"Queens passed away this morning, heart attack, being announced 9:30 am [sic] tomorrow," the text began.

The text fueled rumors to the point that it even became a trending topic, before new pictures surfaced of the 93-year-old monarch that same day. And while Buckingham Palace noted that they don't usually comment on such rumors, according to Metro, a spokesperson for the Palace debunked the rumors and told the publication that it was "business as usual."

READ: Queen Elizabeth Could Be The Last Monarch If This Happens

Although the viral rumor was proven to be false, it does bring up a good question of what would be done if something happened to Queen Elizabeth. The answer is likely similar to what would happen should the Queen decide to retire -- insert Prince Charles.

The Prince of Wales, being the oldest son of Queen Elizabeth, would be the next rightful heir to the throne, and lately, he's appeared to be grooming for the role.

One sign that Prince Charles is preparing to take over is that there has been a recent shift of responsibilities from the Queen onto him. For example, on Nov. 10, the royal family gathered at the Cenotaph in Whitehall for the traditional Remembrance Sunday ceremony where Charles laid a wreath on behalf of the Queen.

Even Kate Middleton has started preparing for her potential future role as the Queen of England by taking on more royal duties and choosing which causes she will champion for, which at the moment, is leaning towards child development.

"She has found work that she’s really passionate about," a source revealed. "She spent a lot of time at the start of her royal life learning about social issues and challenges like addiction, homelessness, mental health. It became clear to her that one of the main causes of it all was things not going right in the early years, so she knows the potential advantages to doing things in this space. It’s about solving much bigger problems but doing it early."