May 21, (THEWILL) — UK radio station, Radio Caroline, has apologised after accidentally announcing that King Charles had died on Tuesday, May 19.
Station manager, Peter Moore, said a computer error triggered the station’s “Death of a Monarch” procedure, which is normally kept ready but rarely used.
“Radio Caroline then fell silent as would be required, which alerted us to restore programming and issue an on-air apology. We apologise to HM the King and to our listeners for any distress caused”, Moore wrote on Facebook.
The mistake interrupted regular programming, and playback of Tuesday’s broadcast between 1:58 pm and 5:00 pm was temporarily unavailable on the station’s website.
At the time, King Charles and Queen Camilla were on the first day of their three-day visit to Northern Ireland, attending events and meeting the public in Belfast.
Radio Caroline, founded in 1964 as a pirate radio station, has a long history in British broadcasting and inspired the 2009 film The Boat That Rocked.
Some listeners shared online that they were initially shocked, then relieved once they realised it was a mistake.
Evi Ben Ezaga writes on entertainment, culture, and trending stories.
