A UK radio station mistakenly announced King Charles’ death while the British national anthem played, and has since issued a statement explaining what went wrong and offering an apology.
In the UK, the death of a reigning monarch triggers a ten-day period of national mourning, which ends following the day of the State Funeral.
The most recent example came after the Queen’s death in 2022, when news of the announcement spread worldwide within minutes.
That context made the situation particularly alarming for staff at Radio Caroline in Essex on Tuesday (May 19), when a pre-prepared announcement was broadcast in error, telling listeners the King had died.
In footage shared by The Telegraph, the on-air message stated: “This is Radio Caroline. We have suspended our normal programmes until further notice as a mark of formal respect following the passing of His Majesty King Charles III.”
The announcement was followed by a short silence and then the national anthem.
Radio Caroline moved quickly to address the incident, later publishing an apology that attributed the broadcast to a technical issue. The statement 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 (May 19), mistakenly announcing that HM the King had passed away.”
The station also said sorry for any upset caused to King Charles and to its audience.
It ended with the line: “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.”
The mix-up came as the King, 77, was in Northern Ireland with Queen Camilla, 78, during a surprise three-day visit.
And it wasn’t the only awkward moment of the week involving the monarch.
On May 20, while meeting people gathered outside Newcastle Community Cinema in Northern Ireland, the King was photographed with seagull droppings on the back of his dark grey suit jacket.
He appeared to take the mishap in stride, declining an outfit change and continuing to greet those waiting to see him.
“At least it didn’t land on my head,” he joked.