A U.K. radio station made a grave error and announced that King Charles III had passed away. Radio Caroline station paused the program to announce Charles’ death and play ‘God Save the King’. The radio station broadcasts in the south of England and the Midlands.
The broadcast announced the king’s death on May 19 at 2 p.m. The radio program paused the song ‘What’s Up?’ by 4 Non Blondes, claiming King Charles III had died.
After the announcement, the program stopped for 15 minutes. Later, a station host apologized for the mistake and false news, calling it a computer error.
🤭 And here’s the recording of the exact moment a British radio station accidentally “announced the death” of King Charles III live on air. https://t.co/SlQN5qGwYw pic.twitter.com/OBAwxwSA2a
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 21, 2026
The station manager, Peter Moore, wrote on Facebook, “Due to a computer error at our main studio, the Death of a Monarch procedure, which all U.K. stations hold in readiness while hoping not to require, was accidentally activated on Tuesday afternoon (19 May), mistakenly announcing that HRH the King had passed away.”
The statement further read, “Radio Caroline then fell silent as would be required, which alerted us to restore programming and issue an on-air apology.” The broadcast continued with a message, “We apologise to HM the King and to our listeners for any distress caused.”
Many listeners were confused after the broadcast. One of them wrote, “It was a shock, but after telling my wife and neighbours I realised it was a mistake – and perhaps it was the relief, but then the laughter set in.” One X user posted, “Haha, someone was preparing the automation for the eventuality and pressed the ‘go’ button.” Plans for the king’s funeral are already in place, but this turned out to be a massive error.
A UK radio station has apologized to Britain’s King Charles III and its listeners after accidentally and incorrectly announcing the death of the monarch. https://t.co/Utsqmt8Sms pic.twitter.com/ek5lhV869B
— CNN (@CNN) May 21, 2026
Some listeners initially believed the announcement and were distressed. One listener immediately went online to read more and realized it was a technical error and the king was alive and well. Charles was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and has been undergoing treatment.
Despite several hospital stays, he has recovered and is doing well. The 77-year-old monarch was last seen arriving in Belfast with Queen Camilla. This is their first visit to Northern Ireland this year.
