Video shows the “Grim Reaper” appearing at King Charles III’s coronation.
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Don’t fear the Reaper; Death personified doesn’t darken King Charles’ door at coronation
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- The person in the video is a verger — a member of the Westminster Abbey community — not the Grim Reaper.
The May 6 coronation of King Charles III was a royal spectacle replete with jewel-encrusted crowns, celebrity sightings, and … a Grim Reaper?
A recent Facebook post claims as much.
"The coronation of the king was not just a mere ceremony, but a ritualistic display of power and allegiance to the secret forces controlling the world," the May 7 post says. "The presence of the Grim Reaper symbolized the dark forces that the king and his inner circle are aligned with."
A video in the post focuses on a clip of the coronation ceremony in which a cloaked figure can be seen walking by a Westminster Abbey doorway.
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That wasn’t the grim reaper darkening the new king’s door, Newsweek reported. Westminster Abbey identified the person as a verger, a member of the abbey community who helps with religious services.
Vergers also lead tours at the abbey, and one can be seen pictured on the Abbey’s website wearing an outfit akin to the one that appears in the coronation video.
We rate claims that the video shows the Grim Reaper False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, May 7, 2023
Newsweek, Coronation viewers spot 'Grim Reaper' at Westminster Abbey—Video, May 6, 2023
Westminster Abbey, Verger-guided tours, visited May 8, 2023
The New York Times, At Charles’s coronation, everything olde was new again, May 7, 2023
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Don’t fear the Reaper; Death personified doesn’t darken King Charles’ door at coronation
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