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BBC Journalist Ahmen Khawaja Tweets Queen Elizabeth Treated In Hospital After 'Prank'

BBC Journalist In Serious Hot Water After Accidentally Reporting The Demise Of The Queen
Chris York & Sara Nelson
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An embarrassed BBC has been forced to apologise after a journalist at the corporation tweeted the demise of the Queen, and then claimed that her phone had been hacked in a "silly prank".

Among a series of tweets, Ahmen Khawaja posted: "BREAKING: Queen Elizabeth is being treated at King Edward 7th Hospital in London. Statement due shortly: @BBCWorld."

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Her Majesty is in fact very much alive and well and the BBC World broadcast journalist was forced to backtrack, quickly deleting the tweets in question, claiming that she had been pranked after leaving her phone at home.

But Khawaja's 'silly prank' explanation was also soon deleted, creating confusion over the true cause of the social media nightmare.

A BBC statement soon shed light on the cause of the error, claiming the tweet was sent during "obituary rehearsals", but that only created further difficulties for Khawaja, who produces news bulletins for BBC Urdu, by contradicting her own explanation.

The statement said: "During a technical rehearsal for an obituary, tweets were mistakenly sent from the account of a BBC journalist saying that a member of the royal family had been taken ill.

"The tweets were swiftly deleted and we apologise for any offence."

SEE ALSO: BBC's Jim Naughtie Apologises After Caitlyn Jenner Gender Blunder

Meanwhile Buckingham Palace was forced to confirm the Queen had coincidentally attended hospital for a "routine" and "pre-scheduled" annual check-up, but was not ill.

A spokesman said: "I can confirm that the Queen this morning attended her annual medical check-up at the King Edward VII's Hospital in London.

"This was a routine, pre-scheduled appointment, the Queen has now left hospital."

But it was too late for some, with the story already growing legs and being reported elsewhere.

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Regardless of the cause, Khawaja original excuse was questioned.

Congratulations on your future appearance in Private Eye https://t.co/qbZmACkX4J

— David Wyllie (@journodave) June 3, 2015

Whatever the real reason behind the tweet it's safe to say Wednesday will be a very rough day for Khawaja.

And the gaffes didn't stop there...

Queen Elizabeth II
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Seated comfortably on a tartan rug, members of the Royal family play with Prince Andrew in the grounds of Balmoral. 1960.
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Queen Elizabeth II and Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor joined by Sugar, one of the Royal corgis. 1959
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Queen Elizabeth II at work, seated at her desk in Buckingham Palace, London. The Queen is seen opening one of the 'boxes' in which documents and papers, sorted for her attention, are sent upstairs by the Private Secretary. Behind the Queen is the Palace switchboard. 1959
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Queen Elizabeth II sits at desk at the royal country estate at Sandringham, England on Dec. 25, 1957, shortly after delivering her first Christmas Day telecast to the British people. Pictures of the Queen's children, Princess Anne and Prince Charles are on the desk. (AP Photo)
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Marilyn Monroe, shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of the 1956 Royal Film Performance of 'The Battle of the River Plate', at the Empire Theatre, Leicester Square.
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Queen Elizabeth II with Sir Laurence Olivier, producer, director and star of 'Richard III' which Her Majesty was arriving to see at the Leicester Square Theatre at the film's premiere. This is Sir Laurence's third Shakesperian presentation and the Queen was seeing it at her own request. 1955
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Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill (r) holds the car door for HRH Queen Elizabeth II (l) as they dine together. 1955
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A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in the Imperial State crown in Buckingham Palace, after her Coronation at Westminster Abbey.
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The smiling Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Imperial State Crown and carrying the Orb after alighting from the State Coach at Buckingham Palace. 1953
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The smiling Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Imperial State Crown and carrying the Orb after alighting from the State Coach at Buckingham Palace. 1953
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The supreme moment of the day, the Queen sits on the St. Edwards Chair, is crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury. 1953
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Prince Charles looking solemn as he stands chin on hand between the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret in the Royal Box at Westminster Abbey, from where he saw the Queen crowned. 1953
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Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Imperial State Crown and the Duke of Edinburgh in uniform of Admiral of the Fleet wave from the balcony to the onlooking crowds around the gates of Buckingham Palace after the Coronation. The Duke of Edinburgh in the uniform of Admiral of the Fleet with The Queen wearing the Imperial State Crown, waving from Buckingham Palace balcony after the Coronation. 1953
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Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen Mother, and the Duke of Gloucester on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to view the fly past of the Royal Air Force after the Coronation. 1953
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Queen Elizabeth II and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace after her coronation in Westminster Abbey. 1953
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The Duke of Norfolk, the Earl Marshal, paying homage to Queen Elizabeth II after her coronation at Westminster Abbey. 1953
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Queen Elizabeth II gives a wide smile for the crowd from her carriage as she leaves Westminster Abbey, London after her Coronation. 1953
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Queen Elizabeth II arrives for a Royal Film Premiere. 1952
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Queen Elizabeth II at a Royal Film Premiere. 1952
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Left to right: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh with the Prince of Wales and Princess Anne in 1951.
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Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh lead the Royals as they attend the opening night of the Royal Festival Hall at the South Bank, London. 1951
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Britain's Princess Elizabeth,later Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and their children Prince Charles and Princess Anne on the lawn at Clarence House, London, 8th August 1951. (AP Photo)
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Princess Elizabeth and corgi
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Princess Elizabeth holds her baby son, Prince Charles, after his christening ceremony at Buckingham Palace. 1948
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Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, leave Westminster Abbey after the wedding ceremony
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Princess Elizabeth, who drove in a semi-state Landau from Buckingham Palace to Guildhall, via the Mall, to receive the Freedom of the City of London. It was the first significant London ceremony which the Princess attended unaccompanied. 1947
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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, sits in Natal National Park, South Africa, on her 21st birthday, in this April 21, 1947 file photo.
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Specially posed portrait of HRH Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II, before the microphone for her 21st Birthday speech which she made from Cape Town, South Africa.April 21, 1947. (AP Photo)
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Princess Elizabeth, right, and her sister, Princess Margaret Rose of Great Britain watch their carrier pigeon circle in the sky after they have liberated it with a message for Lady Baden-Powell, Feb. 20, 1943. It was one of the many messages sent by Girl Guides throughout Britain on Thinking Day which marks the Birthday late Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout movement. (AP Photo)
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Princess Elizabeth, left, and Princess Margaret, daughters of King George of England, ride in a pony cart at a country residence where they are staying during the war, July 11, 1940. The London Daily Mail said the Princesses where not to leave England as other English children because the King preferred to share family perils with other parents whose children could not. (AP Photo)
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Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) with her eldest daughter Princess Elizabeth (the Queen) on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, after the coronation of King George VI.
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(L-R) Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), Princess Elizabeth (the present Queen Elizabeth II), Princess Margaret and King George VI after his coronation, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London.
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The Royal family after the coronation of King George VI.
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Princess Margaret Rose, 2, left, and Princess Elizabeth, 6, daughters of the Duke and Duchess of York, pose, Aug. 20, 1934, London, England. (AP Photo)
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Princess Elizabeth arriving at the 16th Century Church at Balcombe, Sussex, for the wedding of Lady May Cambridge and Captain Henry Abel Smith. 1931
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