An image shared on Facebook claims to show U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer kneeling before King Charles III.

Verdict: Misleading

The claim is misleading. The image, which originally appeared on the stock images website PA Images, shows Starmer being knighted by then-Prince Charles in 2014.

Fact Check:

Starmer’s office recently said it “will not intervene” in the International Criminal Court’s “request for an arrest warrant” against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to The Associated Press. Netanyahu is accused of committing “war crimes” and “crimes against against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel,” the outlet reported.

The Facebook image claims to show Starmer kneeling before King Charles III. “Why does a democratically elected national leader kneel [before a] hereditary emperor?…Because the term ‘DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED’ is a fictitious misnomer,” the post’s caption reads.

The claim is misleading. The image, which originally appeared on the stock images website PA Images, shows Starmer being knighted by then-Prince Charles in 2014. “Investitures at Buckingham Palace,” the image’s title indicates. “Former Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Keir Starmer from London is made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath by the Prince of Wales during an Investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace,” the image’s caption reads.

The claim is corroborated by Starmer’s biography on the Labour Party’s website. According to the same biography, Starmer was elected to Parliament in 2015 before being elected leader of the Labour Party in 2020. Starmer was elected Prime Minister of the U.K. in July 2024, The New York Times reported.

Likewise, Charles became King of England on September 8, 2022 following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, according to his official biography via the Royal Family’s website.

In addition, Check Your Fact did not find any credible news reports to support the claim made via the Facebook post. Actually, the opposite is true. On July 29, Reuters reported the claim was misleading, indicating the photo showed when Starmer was knighted in 2014.

Furthermore, neither Starmer nor the Royal Family has publicly commented on the claim. (RELATED: No, This Image Does Not Show Female Police Officer Injured In Manchester Airport Incident)

Check Your Fact has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.