UK Radio Station Accidentally Announces King Charles' Death Due To Studio Error, Apologises Moments Later

A regional UK radio station has apologised after it mistakenly announced that King Charles III had died, even though the monarch was carrying out official royal duties in Northern Ireland on the same day. The error happened on Tuesday afternoon when Radio Caroline accidentally activated a special emergency procedure that UK broadcasters keep ready for the death of a monarch, according to report by England's Ipswich Star.

The station later confirmed that the announcement was caused by a computer problem at its main studio. Station says“Death of a Monarch” procedure was triggered by mistake

In a statement shared on the station's Facebook page, Radio Caroline station manager Peter Moore explained what happened.

He said:“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 HRH the King had passed away.”

The station also said that after the announcement was broadcast, Radio Caroline suddenly went silent, which is part of the official process followed after the death of a monarch in the UK.

That silence alerted staff that something had gone wrong.

Broadcast stopped for around 16 minutes

According to the station, Radio Caroline fell silent for about 16 minutes shortly after 2pm on Tuesday afternoon. Staff then restored normal programming and quickly issued an on-air apology to listeners.

Peter Moore added that the station was deeply sorry for the mistake and for any upset it may have caused.

The statement said:“Radio Caroline then fell silent as would be required, which alerted us to restore programming and issue an on-air apology.”

The station also apologised directly to King Charles and to listeners for“any distress caused.”

King Charles was attending events in Northern Ireland

The false announcement came while King Charles and Queen Camilla were on an official royal visit to Northern Ireland.

On Tuesday, the King attended events in Belfast as part of the visit.

During one event, King Charles met members of Ards Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann to mark Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann coming to Belfast in August.

The royal visit continued normally despite the mistaken broadcast.

Radio Caroline has a famous history

Radio Caroline is well known in British broadcasting history. The station originally started as a pirate radio station in 1964. It first broadcast from a ship called the Mi Amigo before later moving operations to another ship, the Ross Revenge.

The station became popular because it played songs and artists that were often not heard on traditional radio stations at the time.

Many listeners from Suffolk regularly tuned in to the station during its early years. People living in the area also helped supply the broadcasting ship while it was anchored offshore. Later, after those supply operations became illegal, the station had to move activities to Spain and the Netherlands.

The Ross Revenge was expected to dock in Lowestoft for maintenance work this year. However, due to the ship's size, it instead had to travel to Hull.

Rare royal broadcasting mistake shocks listeners

The accidental announcement quickly caught attention online after one listener shared details of the broadcast. False royal death announcements are extremely rare in the UK, especially because broadcasters keep strict procedures ready for major national events involving the Royal Family.

While the mistake caused confusion for some listeners, Radio Caroline has now confirmed that King Charles is well and continuing with public duties.

The station said it hopes to continue broadcasting the King's Christmas Message for 'many years to come.'

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