Radio Caroline has issued an apology after mistakenly announcing the death of King Charles III due to a computer error. The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon at the station's main studio in Essex.
Station manager Peter Moore explained on Facebook that the 'Death of a Monarch' procedure, which all UK stations hold in readiness, was accidentally activated. This caused Radio Caroline to fall silent, as required by protocol, alerting staff to the error. Programming was restored and an on-air apology was issued.
Moore wrote: 'We apologise to HM the king and to our listeners for any distress caused.' The station, which has broadcast the monarch's Christmas message for many years, expressed hope to continue doing so.
The error came as the King and Queen were visiting Northern Ireland, where they joined a folk group performance and sipped Irish whiskey in Belfast's Titanic Quarter. Radio Caroline, originally a pirate radio station founded in 1964, inspired the 2009 film 'The Boat that Rocked'.
