Says Queen Elizabeth said Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte “is the kind of leader who knows the way …. Filipinos are very lucky to have him.”
No, Queen Elizabeth didn’t praise Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in a speech
If your time is short
Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech addressing the coronavirus on April 5, but she didn’t mention President Rodrigo Duterte.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warned that people who flout the country’s lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus could be shot. On April 5, Al Jazeera reported that police had killed a man for refusing to follow restrictions.
Did Queen Elizabeth offer words of support for the president the following day?
A Facebook post claims that during her “message of hope amid the coronavirus pandemic,” the queen called Duterte “the kind of leader who knows the way.”
“Filipinos are very fortunate to have him,” the quote continues. “Seriously, he looked so overworked. He may not be perfect, but he truly loves his country. Philippines doesn’t have the worst government. It actually has the worst citizens.”
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Queen Elizabeth did deliver a rare speech on April 5 (not April 6, like the Facebook post says), thanking United Kingdom residents for staying inside and vowing that they would succeed in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
She didn’t mention Duterte or the Philippines.
Searching for the quote online, we didn’t find any credible sources showing that she said it elsewhere, either.
We rate this Facebook post Pants on Fire.
Our Sources
Facebook post, April 6, 2020
Reuters, ‘Shoot them dead’ - Phiippine leader says won’t tolerate lockdown violators, April 1, 2020
Al Jazeera, Man shot dead in Philippines for flouting coronavirus rules, April 5, 2020
BBC, Coronavirus: The Queen’s message seen by 24 million, April 6, 2020
The Telegraph, The Queen’s coronavirus speech transcript: ‘We will succeed and better days will come,’ April 5, 2020
