Radio Caroline in Essex accidentally triggered the “Death of a Monarch” procedure during a computer error on Tuesday afternoon, briefly announcing that King Charles had died. The station apologised for any distress, and later programming was restored with an o
A radio station in Essex went silent after triggering a solemn emergency broadcast—only for it to be later clear that it was a mistake.
Radio Caroline apologised “for any distress caused” after it accidentally announced that King Charles had died. The erroneous announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon, following a computer error at Radio Caroline’s main studio in Essex.
Station manager Peter Moore wrote on Facebook that “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 explained that Radio Caroline then “fell silent as would be required,” which alerted the team “to restore programming and issue an on-air apology.”
Moore added: “We apologise to HM the king and to our listeners for any distress caused.”
The post did not state how long it took before the mistake was discovered. On Wednesday afternoon, playback for Tuesday’s broadcast between 1.58pm and 5pm was unavailable on the station’s website.
Radio Caroline also said it had 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 incident unfolded as the king and queen were in Northern Ireland, where they joined a folk group for a performance. Charles and Camilla watched dancers and sipped Irish whiskey in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter on the first day of their trip.
Radio Caroline, established in 1964, is a former pirate radio station that operated from ships off the English coast. After legislation in 1967 forced many pirate broadcasters to close, it continued intermittently before ending offshore broadcasts in 1990.
The station’s history also inspired the 2009 comedy film The Boat that Rocked, starring Bill Nighy and Philip Seymour Hoffman, about a group of eccentric DJs living and working together at sea.
The apology came amid another high-profile broadcasting mishap: on Tuesday. the BBC apologised after a scheduling error meant listeners to Elaine Paige’s show heard a repeat of the previous week’s programme. The singer and actor hosts a show on Radio 2 every week called Elaine Paige On Sunday. An error meant listeners heard the wrong second hour of her show last Sunday.
A BBC spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, due to a scheduling error, the incorrect second hour of the show was broadcast yesterday. “We apologise to listeners and are currently looking into how this occurred.” The correct programme is now available on BBC Sounds.
Radio Caroline UK radio apology King Charles death announcement Peter Moore computer error Death of a Monarch procedure Essex BBC scheduling error Elaine Paige On Sunday