An online publication took down an article that baselessly claimed Kate Middleton was leaving Prince William

• Rumors that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are separating hit the internet on Tuesday.
• The claim came from the French website Oh My Mag and was later picked up by MSN, Newsweek reports.

A false article claiming that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge broke up after 11 years of marriage sent royal fans into a frenzy this week on social media.

On Tuesday, an MSN article titled "Prince Williams and Kate Middleton separate as Duchess moves out with their children" was shared on Twitter. Newsweek reported that MSN ran the story after Oh My Mag, a French website, made similar claims.

The article, which has since been removed from MSN and Oh My Mag's websites, alleged that Kate, 40, left William, 39, and took the couple's three young children with her. Newsweek reported that Oh My Mag's article attributed its content to the German website Schlarger.de.

According to an archived version, Oh My Mag's article stated: "Palace staff recently reported a heated discussion between the couple that they stumbled upon. The staff eavesdropped on their conversation where Kate expressed her unhappiness … After the argument, Kate packed her luggage and left for her parent's house with her children."

In a statement to Newsweek, Oh My Mag's parent company Groupe Cerise confirmed that the claims were false.

"This story is indeed false and has been published by accident. We are taking it down momentarily," they said.

An MSN spokesperson confirmed to Insider that the article and related tweet were removed.

"The accuracy of our content is a top priority and we continue to enhance our systems to identify and prevent inaccurate information from appearing on our channels. The story and tweet in question have since been removed," the statement read.

Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Oh My Mag, and Schlager.de did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

William and Middleton met in 2001 at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland before they got engaged nine years later in October 2010. They were married on April 29, 2011, in Westminster Abbey and celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary this April.

Although the couple has different royal engagements on Wednesday — with Middleton attending Buckingham Palace's garden Party and William at a submariners memorial unveiling — the couple recently completed a controversial Caribbean tour together.

They're both expected to attend and participate in the Queen's Jubilee celebrations in June.