Examining rumors Queen Elizabeth II ‘loved’ Charlie Kirk’s work

In September 2025, a claim circulated online that Queen Elizabeth II expressed sincere interest in and even “loved” Charlie Kirk’s work as a co-founder of the conservative political organization Turning Point USA. In particular, according to the rumor, the queen admired how he promoted Christian beliefs to young people.

Elizabeth died on Sept. 8, 2022 at age 96, while Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on Sept. 10, 2025. One X user claimed (archived): “Queen Elizabeth II was reportedly ‘very interested’ in, and even ‘loved,’ Charlie Kirk’s work. She admired his sincere love of Christ and his mission to guide young people back to the Church. Be faithful, be moral, go to Church. That is what they both would have wanted.”

Another X user echoed the claim (archived), citing a Newsmax article that claimed the late queen “quietly backed” Kirk establishing a chapter of his political organization in the UK.

(@Basil_TGMD/X)

Both that post and the article cited British businessman John Mappin, an heir to the Mappin and Webb jewelry family, as a source for the tidbit of information about Elizabeth. (The Guardian newspaper branded Mappin a “central figure” in the founding of Turning Point UK, per a 2020 article about the businessman raising a flag linked to the QAnon conspiracy theory.)

The rumor about the queen and Kirk originated from a Sept. 17 article published by The Telegraph, a conservative British newspaper. The report relied on Mappin’s secondhand recounting of various stories, including one in which he described an alleged conversation about Kirk between his friend Tyrone Plunket (the 9th Baron Plunket), the queen and Prince Philip in December 2018. Mappin reportedly provided The Telegraph with photos, as well as firsthand accounts, such as an anecdote about him and his wife traveling with Kirk and his wife, Erika Kirk, in Jerusalem in 2019.

In terms of evidence, The Telegraph’s article did not feature any documents, videos or audio recordings allowing researchers to confirm the alleged conversation between Plunket and the queen. While Snopes was unable to independently verify this matter, we did receive an email from Plunket featuring more details.

In this story, we’ve presented the story as told by The Telegraph, followed by Plunket’s account. We will update this article if Mappin or Royal Household officials respond to our other inquiries about the rumor.

The story from The Telegraph’s article

According to Mappin, shortly before Kirk arrived at an event in the U.K. on Dec. 11, 2018 (documented in a video on Mappin’s X account), Plunket had tea with the queen and Philip at Windsor Castle. There, Plunket purportedly told them about Kirk’s work promoting Christianity.

Mappin reportedly stressed to The Telegraph that the queen’s intrigue was related only to Kirk’s religious work, and “that he could not presume to speak on anything else” regarding Kirk’s conservative politics, such as his support of U.S. President Donald Trump:

“Shortly before Charlie’s arrival, our friends Lord and Lady Plunket, who co-hosted the Turning Point launch with us, briefed the late Queen and Prince Philip about Turning Point at Windsor Castle where they were having tea. Tyrone [Plunket] explained to her Majesty everything that Charlie was doing, which she wasn’t aware of.”

Apparently, “Prince Philip found it fascinating, while she just loved the idea that Charlie was bringing younger people back to the Church.”

Mappin is keen to point out that the Christian aspect of Kirk’s mission is “what [Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth] appreciated as head of the Church of England,” and that he could not presume to speak on anything else.

“But as a deeply Christian soul herself, she did appreciate Charlie’s sincere love of Jesus Christ, and what he was doing to remind people of Christian values and to bring new people to the Church. She was very interested, encouraging and validating of what Charlie was doing,” he stresses.

Mappin reportedly added: “I’ve got the most incredible picture of Tyrone [Plunket], standing next to the late Queen, and underneath it says, ‘Briefing complete.’”

Plunket’s account of the story

On Sept. 25, Plunket shared his detailed version of the story in an email to Snopes. In his message, he said his family met with the queen for tea on Dec. 9, 2018 — just two nights before Kirk’s arrival. Plunket said he “really admired” Kirk despite disagreeing with him on some topics, including abortion, because he valued “civilized” debate:

Her late Majesty Queen Elisabeth II, invited myself, my wife and our twin sons for a family tea at Windsor castle on the 9th December 2018 as our respective family’s have been friends for a few generations. For the record, I am not and never have been politically active. I only gave John Mappin permission to relay the Queen’s support for his Christian values, no surprises there as she was the Head of the Church of England and peaceful debate as she was a fervent supporter of democracy and the will of the majority. His Royal Highness, the late Prince Phillip was fascinated and impressed that an American boy of only 24 years of age had already created a nationwide organisation in the USA to promote rational debate and that he had agreed to try and help that movement in the U.K.

Some days later I wrote a letter to Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth II on the 17th December 2018, my words sadly sound as prescient now as back then in 2018. The first paragraph on page 2 is the only relevant part of that private letter:

“The drinks party I co-hosted for Charlie Kirk of Turning Point U.S.A., went very well and there is now an independent U.K version. We need exceptional talent in our future politicians and a desire to serve their country before their parties or egos, today’s crop risk humiliating our great nation and worse.”

I hope this will put to rest the idea that A) Her Majesty the late Queen Elisabeth II and his Royal highness, Prince Phillip had never heard of Charlie Kirk and Turning Point U.K. and B) That both of them had not expressed their admiration of a young man trying to promote Christian values and respectful debate without resorting to aggressive non engagement or violence.

He became a friend and someone I really admired especially as I disagreed with him on some topics like his Pro Life stance and he would argue his point of view, I would argue mine and he would respectfully disagree with me, that’s what civilised intelligent and peaceful humans do.

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