Radio Caroline, a radio station in the United Kingdom, issued a public apology after accidentally announcing that King Charles III had died, briefly triggering the national “Death of a Monarch” broadcast protocol, The Guardian reported. The computer error happened on Tuesday afternoon, May 19, at the radio station’s main studio in Maldon, Essex. Station manager Peter Moore said the station’s emergency system for reporting a monarch’s death was accidentally activated, causing an announcement to air stating that “His Majesty King Charles III has passed away”.
Moore explained in a Facebook post that a computer malfunction set off the procedure “which all UK stations hold in readiness while hoping not to require.” He said the station apologises “to HM the King and to our listeners for any distress caused.”
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Radio Caroline also noted it has broadcast the monarch’s Christmas message for years, under Queen Elizabeth II and now under King Charles, and hopes to continue doing so.
“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 wrote in a Facebook post.
“Radio Caroline then fell silent as would be required, which alerted us to restore programming and issue an on-air apology.
“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.
“We apologise to HM the king and to our listeners for any distress caused.”
The station manager didn’t clarify how long the mistake went on air. But according to The Guardian, the playback for Tuesday’s broadcast between 1.58 pm and 5:00 pm (local time) was unavailable on the station’s website.
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Timing of the incident
The false report aired while Charles and Queen Camilla were on a three-day visit to Northern Ireland, attending events in Belfast and meeting members of the public.
Buckingham Palace has not commented publicly on the incident.
Founded in 1964 as an offshore pirate station, Radio Caroline remains one of the UK’s best-known independent broadcasters. The station’s blunder drew wide attention online, with many listeners noting the shock before realising it was an error.
