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Ciara O'Rourke
By Ciara O'Rourke September 12, 2022

No, this photo doesn’t show African porters carrying queen over river

If Your Time is short

  • This photo, taken when Elizabeth was a child, shows a European traveler being carried across a river by African porters in Senegal. It doesn’t show the queen. 
 
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Public grief over the death of Queen Elizabeth II has fanned anger over Britain’s colonial legacy in Africa, but in some cases that has led to misinformation, like this wrongly captioned image.

Another photograph being shared on social media is also being described as showing Elizabeth. In the picture, seven Black men lift a wooden cart that carries a woman passenger over what looks like a river. 

"This is who y’all telling to rest in peace?" one account sharing the photo said. "Go to HELL Queen Elizabeth." 

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

(Screengrab from Facebook)
 
We found the image on Agence France-Presse’s website. The image is undated, but according to AFP’s description, it was created as early as Jan. 1, 1930, about four years after Elizabeth was born.
 
The caption says it was taken in Senegal and "shows a European traveler being carried through a river by African porters in a sedan chair." 
 
Britain did once occupy Senegal, but long before this photo was taken. Britain returned holdings it captured during the Napoleonic Wars to France in 1816, and by the late 1800s, France had gained control of all territory in Senegal.
 
BBC News has shared photos of Elizabeth visiting Africa over the years. The picture in this post is not among them. 
 
We rate claims that this image shows Elizabeth False.
 

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