Overview
- Radio Caroline accidentally broadcast a pre-recorded announcement saying King Charles III had died after a studio computer error activated the 'Death of a Monarch' protocol on Tuesday, May 19.
- The station fell silent and played the national anthem as the protocol requires before presenters restored programming and issued an on-air apology to the King and listeners.
- Radio Caroline has removed or made unavailable the affected May 19 afternoon playback, disabled the standby death-announcement recordings, and said it will revert to human oversight while it investigates the technical cause.
- The false report occurred while the King and Queen were carrying out official engagements in Northern Ireland and Buckingham Palace has not issued a comment linking the incident to the royal visit.
- The episode highlights risks in using automated emergency recordings for sensitive events, prompted visible listener shock online, and could lead broadcasters to review how rehearsed contingency files are stored and triggered.