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Analysis
Footage shared to social media purports to show a naked man escaping from Buckingham Palace, proof, according to conspiracy theorists, that England’s Royal Family is holding people hostage.
The video exploded on Twitter last week after being shared by Stew Peters, a far-right radio host who is notorious for regularly promoting debunked conspiracy theories.
“This naked man sure is in a hurry to escape from Buckingham Palace,” Peters wrote.
The clip in Peters’ tweet, which has been viewed over 917,000 times, appears to show a nude man attempting to leave a top story window of the royal residence using a rope made of bed sheets. Filmed from the viewpoint of an alleged tourist, the man is eventually seen falling.
Numerous individuals responded to the video by joking that the man may have been Hunter Biden, while others claimed they had heard that the man died.
Others argued that the person leaving the window was actually a child who had been held captive.
“Had the hustle of someone leaving Jeffery Dahmer’s apartment,” one user commented. “If you are willing to break your legs, then whatever was in that window was far worse.”
Dozens of references were also made to Prince Andrew, a member of the Royal Family with ties to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein who has been accused of sexually abusing a minor. Some even blamed the media for failing to cover the supposedly monumental story.
Of course, Peters’ insinuation regarding the footage isn’t true. In fact, the clip was not even filmed at London’s Buckingham Palace.
It turns out, the footage is almost a decade old and has repeatedly been debunked. Yet conspiracy theorists like Peters have kept it alive by continuing to promote it.
The video first appeared on YouTube in 2015 and was filmed as part of a promotion campaign for a TV show about a fictional royal family in England. The following month, the US-based entertainment company E! admitted that the clip was nothing more than a marketing stunt for its upcoming show “The Royals.”
It was also revealed that the footage was taken not at Buckingham Palace but at Moor Park Golf Club in Rickmansowrth, UK.
Even though the clip was first explained over 8 years ago, the clip seemingly goes viral every few months, especially following any major news regarding the British monarchy.
Why it matters
Battling conspiracy theories can be an uphill battle. Many continue to persevere despite being repeatedly debunked. Although Twitter has since placed a notice on the tweet stating that Peters’ claims aren’t true, the footage has once again already done its damage.
Mikael Thalen
Mikael Thalen is a tech and security reporter covering social media, data breaches, hackers, and more.
