King Charles death hoax: UK radio station explains how false announcement went on air
UK radio station mistakenly announces King Charles’ death, faces Ofcom breach
Radio Caroline mistakenly announced King Charles III’s death during a live programme. Ofcom has now ruled that the broadcaster breached accuracy rules over the incident.
LONDON: A British radio station mistakenly announced the death of King Charles III during a live programme in May, prompting a brief wave of confusion before the broadcaster realised the error and apologised.
The incident occurred on May 19, 2026, during The Barry Marsh Show on Radio Caroline, when a pre-recorded announcement prepared for use in the event of the monarch’s death was accidentally played on air.
The recording stated that the station had “suspended our normal programmes until further notice as a mark of respect following the passing of His Majesty King Charles III.” It was followed by the national anthem and 16 minutes of silence.
The announcement was part of a pre-arranged protocol designed to be broadcast only after receiving clearance from Buckingham Palace in the event of the King’s death.
After the error was discovered, the presenter apologised to listeners, explaining that the material had been broadcast because of a technical issue.
“I’ve just been informed that we’ve played in error some information a little earlier,” the presenter said. “I didn’t hear this myself, but it is incorrect, it’s a technical issue, and of course we apologise.”
New details have now emerged about how the incident occurred, after the U.K. broadcasting regulator Ofcom found Radio Caroline in breach of its rules.
According to Ofcom’s ruling, a member of staff carrying out maintenance on a studio computer accessed the pre-recorded audio files and played them “out of curiosity”, without realising that the material would be transmitted live.
When the employee realised what had happened, they stopped the recordings before panicking and leaving the premises.
Radio Caroline told Ofcom that the staff member had been reprimanded and had apologised for the incident. The station also said the pre-recorded files had subsequently been removed from the studio computer.
Ofcom ruling on King Charles death announcement
Ofcom said the incident amounted to a serious breach because the broadcast contained inaccurate information about a matter of significant public importance.
“We considered this to have been a very significant inaccuracy about an issue of particular public importance,” Ofcom said in its ruling.
The regulator also criticised the time taken by the station to issue a clarification and apology.
“As outlined above, Radio Caroline did not broadcast an apology and clarification until approximately 30 minutes after the inaccurate announcements were first broadcast,” Ofcom said.
Ofcom noted that the station was monitoring its output at the time and that an engineer had become aware of the problem. However, the regulator said it took time for staff to establish what had happened and restore the scheduled programme.
The situation was further complicated because the presenter was broadcasting the programme remotely, Ofcom added.
The incident highlights the potential risks associated with pre-recorded emergency broadcasts and the importance of ensuring that such material cannot be accidentally transmitted during routine studio maintenance.