A British radio station apologized after mistakenly reporting that King Charles III had died. Radio Caroline in the county of Essex described the incident as the result of a "computer error" in its main studio.
According to the official explanation, the station inadvertently triggered the special procedure for announcing the death of the monarch – a protocol that all radio stations in the UK keep on standby in the hope that it will never have to be used.
In a social media post, station manager Peter Moore wrote: "Due to a computer error in our main studio, the monarch's death procedure, which all stations in the United Kingdom keep on standby, hoping never to have to use, was accidentally activated on Tuesday afternoon (May 19), erroneously announcing that His Majesty the King had passed away."
He added that Radio Caroline then ceased broadcasting, as required by the protocol, which signaled the team to restore normal programming and offer an apology on air for the caused distress.
The incident occurred on the first day of King Charles III and the Queen's visit to Northern Ireland. At the time, they were attending a performance by a folk group, watching dancers, and sampling Irish whiskey in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast.
Radio Caroline, based in the town of Maldon, was established in 1964 and is known for its history as a pirate radio station before becoming a legal media outlet, British media recall.