By Stephen Simon
A major broadcasting error has sparked confusion in the United Kingdom after Radio Caroline mistakenly announced the death of King Charles III during a disruption to its live programming.
The incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday, May 19, when the station abruptly suspended its regular broadcasts and replaced them with what appeared to be an emergency-style announcement declaring the monarch dead.
“This is Radio Caroline. We have suspended our normal programs until further notice as a mark of respect following the passing of His Majesty King Charles III,” the broadcast stated.
Following the announcement, the station played “God Save the King” before going silent for about 15 minutes, further fuelling panic and confusion among listeners.
Some members of the public initially believed the message to be true, with reactions quickly spreading on social media before the error was later clarified.
“I dashed indoors shouting to the missus ‘He’s dead! Charlie is dead!’ She looked puzzled,” one listener said, while another admitted they initially thought it might be a prank before realising it was a mistake.
Radio Caroline later confirmed that the announcement was caused by a technical fault linked to its emergency “death of a monarch” protocol, which had been accidentally triggered.
Station manager Peter Moore apologised for the incident, explaining that the system is normally kept on standby for official use but was mistakenly activated due to a computer error.
“Due to a computer error at our main studio, the Death of a Monarch procedure… was accidentally activated,” he said, adding that normal programming had since been restored and an apology issued.
He also expressed regret to the royal family and listeners for the distress caused by the false report.
The incident highlights the strict protocols maintained by British broadcasters for major national events, including the eventual death of a reigning monarch, which requires immediate changes to programming and official announcements.
At the time of the error, King Charles III and Queen Camilla were reportedly on official engagements in Northern Ireland.
