Prince William, Kate Middleson Son Prince George “Targeted By ISIS Sniper” Is Fake News Story

(National Enquirer)

An article claiming Prince George was “targeted” by an “ISIS sniper” is nothing but fake news. Gossip Cop can expose this falsehood. A tabloid is using an old photo that was widely seen at the time to sensationally claim Kate Middleton and Prince William’s son “cheated death.”

The latest cover of the National Enquirer exclaims, “ISIS Kill Plot Foiled! Sniper Caught Stalking Prince George!” In a purported “world exclusive,” the magazine is claiming to have a picture showing “the heart-stopping moment little Prince George cheated death.” The photo shows the future king walking hand-in-hand with his father and his teacher outside of his school. The outlet focuses on the upper left corner of the supposedly “chilling image,” contending that a “man is leaning out of a window” and “appears to be holding a rifle and looking down at the two royals.”

“What happened next is unknown, but a Buckingham Palace source believes brilliant police work averted a tragedy,” claims the publication. This so-called “source” is quoted as saying, “Clearly, security stopped whomever it was without incident. Both Prince George and his father are obviously alive, as is the teacher.” Speculates this alleged insider, “It’s possible the sniper was captured, or that he decided not to take the shot.”

But this is really just wild, unsubstantiated conjecture. And what the supermarket tabloid fails to tell readers is that its “photo exclusive” is not really an “exclusive” at all. The magazine purposefully doesn’t give the date of the snapshot because it is more than six months old. The photos were taken as Prince William escorted Prince George to his first day of school last September. For this outrageous “sniper” storyline, it appears the outlet took a screengrab from a video of Prince George’s arrival, in which a person is indeed seen in an open window at the building behind the royal father and son.

But there’s nothing to even remotely suggest the person is an ISIS-connected “sniper,” versus, say, a nosy neighbor observing a historical milestone for the heir to the throne. And significantly, no reputable outlet ever reported anything about a “kill plot” being thwarted on Prince George’s first day of school. In fact, well into the article, the publication changes from implying the person in the window was a “sniper” to claiming “the man in the window was actually part of a team of officers who have taken up residence in a home overlooking the school — to protect George.” And then, confusingly, the tabloid switches back again with its questionable “source” asserting, “It’s shocking the Enquirer obtained the real photo with the man leaning out of the window!”

Yeah, there’s nothing “shocking” going on here. As seen in the video linked above, this image was readily available last fall. But it seems the magazine is attempting to twist reality because in late May an ISIS supporter pled guilty after encouraging attacks on Prince George’s school. The publication, though, has no evidence that that situation, which started with an arrest last November, has anything to do with the imagery from the little boy’s first day. Nor has any credible media made such a link.

The bottom line boils down to this: Because only weeks ago there was real news about a man confessing to school-related threats against Prince George, the National Enquirer manufactured a cover story about how Queen Elizabeth’s great-grandson “cheated death.” To sell this narrative, the tabloid chose a picture that shows someone in the background, but is too fuzzy to make out clearly. And to dupe readers, the magazine does not acknowledge that this snapshot is from Prince George’s first day of school, which drew attention around the world, as opposed to being something new and never before seen.

What the outlet has done is put together fake news, which is what it also did in March with a cover story that falsely claimed Prince William and Middleton would be crowned king and queen in a “secret succession plot.” The publication maintained a “palace coup” was in the works that would entail “banning [Prince] Charles from ever being crowned king, and handing the monarchy to William and Kate.” Gossip Cop busted that tall tale at the time, and we were proven right a month later when Queen Elizabeth formally called for Prince Charles to be the next head of the Commonwealth, and the heads of government readily agreed.

As this example shows, the tabloid is known for crazy, untrue stories about the royal family. It’s just particularly shameful that its latest falsehoods exploit an innocent child.