She got away with it. Beyonce's decision to mime the national anthem at president Obama's inauguration seemed to have landed the singer in some hot water, but her loyal fans have forgiven her, leaping to her defence.

A US Marine Band spokeswoman - quoted by the The New York Times - said a  version of the national anthem pre-recorded with her the day before would be used. "We don't know why," said the spokeswoman, Master Sergeant Kristin duBois. "But that is what we were instructed to do... It's not because Beyonce can't sing. We all know Beyonce can sing. We all know the Marine Band can play."

And Beyonce's fans were just as supportive, dismissing the naysayers to defend their queen of R&B. "Who cares that Beyonce Lip #Sync the National Anthem, it was recorded live an hour before. You try singing in that cold," tweeted one fan. "Beyonce certainly acted like a diva ... but I don't see how that can be compared to Lance Armstrong cheating for 7 straight years at the least," said another Twitter user, refuting claims that Beyonce had somehow cheated like Armstrong, the cyclist who recently admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs. "Beyonce is the best lip-syncer I've seen," added a third fan. "Because she surely fooled me."