A British radio station, Radio Caroline, has issued a public apology after mistakenly broadcasting a false announcement claiming that King Charles III had died.
The embarrassing error reportedly occurred on Tuesday afternoon at the station’s Essex studio after a pre-prepared emergency system meant for the eventual death of a monarch was accidentally triggered, according to a report by The Guardian.
In a statement shared on Facebook, station manager Peter Moore explained that the broadcaster’s “Death of a Monarch” procedure had been activated by a computer malfunction.
“Due to a computer error at our main studio, the Death of a Monarch procedure, which all UK stations hold in readiness while hoping not to require, was accidentally activated on Tuesday afternoon (19 May), mistakenly announcing that HM the King had passed away,” Moore stated.
The station said the sudden silence that followed the announcement quickly alerted staff to the mistake, prompting them to restore normal programming and issue an immediate on-air apology.
Moore added that the station deeply regretted the incident and expressed hope of continuing its long-standing relationship with the royal family.
“Caroline has been pleased to broadcast Her Majesty the Queen’s, and now the king’s, Christmas message and we hope to do so for many years to come,” he said.
“We apologise to HM the king and to our listeners for any distress caused.”
The report noted that the station did not reveal how long the incorrect announcement remained on air before it was corrected.
However, archived playback from Tuesday afternoon’s broadcast was reportedly unavailable on the station’s website by Wednesday.
The incident happened while King Charles III and Queen Camilla were on an official visit to Northern Ireland.
During the trip, the royal couple attended a folk music performance and toured Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, where they watched local dancers and sampled Irish whiskey.
Founded in 1964, Radio Caroline became famous as one of Britain’s best-known pirate radio stations, originally broadcasting from ships positioned off the English coastline.
Despite anti-piracy laws introduced in 1967, the station continued operating intermittently before ending its offshore broadcasts in 1990.
Its story, alongside other pirate broadcasters, later inspired the 2009 comedy film The Boat That Rocked starring Bill Nighy and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
In a separate broadcasting mishap this week, BBC also apologised after listeners to a Elaine Paige radio programme reportedly heard a repeat of the previous week’s show due to a scheduling error.
“Unfortunately, due to a scheduling error, the incorrect second hour of the show was broadcast yesterday,” a BBC spokesperson said.
“We apologise to listeners and are currently looking into how this occurred. The correct programme is now available on BBC Sounds.”
