A UK radio station has issued an apology after mistakenly announcing the death of King Charles III following what it described as a computer error that wrongly activated its emergency broadcast protocol.
Radio Caroline said the false announcement was aired on Tuesday before the station abruptly went silent, triggering confusion among staff who later restored normal programming and issued a correction.
In a statement shared by station manager Peter Moore, the broadcaster explained that a technical malfunction activated its “Death of a Monarch” procedure, a protocol all UK stations are required to maintain for official use in the event of the monarch’s passing.
“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 said.
He added that the station immediately realised something had gone wrong when its broadcast unexpectedly went off air, prompting urgent corrective action.
“Radio Caroline then fell silent as would be required, which alerted us to restore programming and issue an on-air apology,” he added.
The station also apologised directly to the monarch and its audience for any distress caused by the erroneous announcement.
“We apologise to HM the King and to our listeners for any distress caused,” the statement said.
The incident occurred while King Charles III and Queen Camilla were carrying out official engagements in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
According to Buckingham Palace, the royal couple attended cultural events at Thompson Dock, visited Titanic Distillers, and met Northern Ireland political leaders at Hillsborough Castle during the visit.
