False Claim: Son of Ukraine’s Former Foreign Minister Bought “Game of Thrones” Iron Throne for $1.5 Million

The Iron Throne from the hit HBO show “Game of Thrones” recently made headlines after selling at auction for nearly $1.5 million to an unidentified bidder. However, a TV clip shared online claiming that the purchaser was the son of Ukraine’s former foreign minister has been proven to be doctored.

The post, which circulated on various social media platforms, included a clip from a San Antonio, Texas news station reporting on the auction and featured a slide with the caption questioning where the son of Ukraine’s former minister of foreign affairs got the money for the Iron Throne. The clip was altered to include images of Dmytro and Yegor Kuleba, suggesting that Yegor had purchased the iconic throne.

The auction house, Heritage Auction, confirmed that they had not released the name of the winning bidder and stated that the altered video was “absolutely false” and “completely fabricated.” Additionally, Natalie Morera, the assistant news director of the station that aired the original clip, confirmed that the video had been edited to include false information.

Dmytro Kuleba, the former foreign minister of Ukraine, also denied the claims in a social media post, stating that his son is a student in Kyiv and did not purchase the Iron Throne. He emphasized that the doctored video was a clear example of misinformation and apologized to fans of the show for the confusion.

The auction, which took place in October, included various memorabilia from the show and netted over $21 million in total. The Iron Throne sold was a plastic replica used as a touring prop, not the actual throne featured in the series.

This incident serves as a reminder to be cautious of misinformation online and to verify sources before sharing or believing claims that seem too good to be true.