As word broke that Buckingham Palace had called an emergency meeting and speculation swirled surrounding the content of that meeting, at least one media organisation was bound to make a gaffe.
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On this occasion, that unfortunate organisation was British tabloid The Sun.
In the rush to be the first media outlet to break any big news story emanating from the meeting, the newspaper prepared a story mourning the death of Prince Philip, himself a celebrated author of the gaffe - the only issue was that no one had said he was dead when someone working at the paper accidentally hit publish.
"Prince Phillip dead at 95, how did the Duke of Edinburgh die, etc etc," the headline screamed.
British media is reporting that both Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth are in good health and are not the subject of Thursday's meeting at the palace.
The Sun quickly changed their story, with a new headline reading "QUEEN'S COMPANION Who is Prince Philip, what was the Duke of Edinburgh's military rank and when did he marry Queen Elizabeth?" However, the damage was done, with eagle-eyed twitter users quick to take screenshots of the embarrassing moment.
Hi @TheSun. Not sure that's supposed to have been published... pic.twitter.com/bBJHuA0iWl??? The Sun Apologies (@SunApology) May 4, 2017
The Sun jumps the gun #BuckinghamPalace @TheSun pic.twitter.com/yxB186xJ3W??? Lisa Creffield (@lisacc) May 4, 2017
Earlier in the day, news of the meeting sent the internet into meltdown as the monarch's aides and team members from as far as Balmoral in Scotland to her Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and Windsor Castle were called into London for a meeting at Buckingham Palace.
The BBC reported the meeting was not believed to be a cause for concern and such meetings happened about once a year. BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said he understood the meeting was not about the health of the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh.
According to the Daily Mail, the staff will be addressed by the most senior officer of the royal household, Lord Chamberlain, and the Queen's private secretary, Sir Christopher Geidt.
UK radio had reported, and social media had speculated, the news could be regarding Prince Philip. The royal correspondent for London's Daily Telegraph, Hannah Furness, reported the meeting was unlikely to be about the death of a senior royal or an abdication.
She said staff were due to meet mid-morning to learn the news first, before it is announced to the public.
Prince Philip, 95, was on public duty on Wednesday, opening a new multimillion-dollar grandstand at Lord's, named after former England captain Sir Pelham Warner, while the Queen received British Prime Minister Theresa May at Buckingham Palace.
"You could safely assume the Queen and Prince Philip are not dead," a palace press office told a 1 NEWS reporter in Auckland this afternoon.
