A British radio worker mistakenly announced the death of King Charles III before panicking and fleeing the station after realizing the shocking message had gone out live over the airwaves.
The extraordinary mistake occurred during an afternoon broadcast of The Barry Marsh Show on Radio Caroline, a community station based in Essex, England. The incident unfolded on May 19 but received renewed attention Monday after Britain’s communications regulator published the results of its investigation.
According to Ofcom, a staff member was performing maintenance on the station’s main computer while the program’s presenter broadcast remotely. During that work, the employee discovered three prerecorded audio files prepared for the eventual death of King Charles.
The files were accompanied by strict instructions and were only supposed to be used after the monarch’s death had been officially confirmed. However, the employee reportedly played them “out of curiosity,” apparently not realizing they would immediately interrupt the station’s live broadcast.
Listeners suddenly heard a series of announcements claiming that King Charles had died and that Radio Caroline was suspending its normal programming as a mark of respect. One message falsely claimed that news organizations had already confirmed the monarch’s death.
The station then played Britain’s national anthem before repeating one of the false announcements. What followed was approximately 16 minutes of silence for listeners tuning in through DAB+, while those using the station’s AM service heard continuous backup music.
Once the employee realized the prerecorded messages had gone out live, the situation took another bizarre turn. Radio Caroline told Ofcom that the worker stopped the audio files, “panicked and left the premises.”
The presenter hosting the show remotely was initially unaware that his program had been knocked off the air. The station explained that he would not have known there was a problem unless he was actively monitoring Radio Caroline’s output over the internet.
The station’s director was also unable to catch the error immediately because he was on a telephone call when the false announcements aired. When he returned to monitoring the station, he noticed that continuous music had replaced the scheduled program and contacted an engineer.
The engineer had already begun investigating the disruption and eventually restored the regular broadcast. Staff then attempted to contact the presenter, but that process took additional time because he believed he was still on the air and was not watching his phone.
Roughly 30 minutes after the false death announcement, the presenter informed listeners that incorrect information had been broadcast due to a technical issue. He offered a brief apology but did not clearly explain that the station had falsely reported the King’s death.
Ofcom received two complaints and opened an investigation into whether Radio Caroline violated Britain’s broadcasting standards. In its August 10 ruling, the regulator found the station in breach of two rules covering accuracy and the prompt correction of major mistakes.
The regulator described the false report as a “very significant inaccuracy,” noting that information about the monarch’s health carries an exceptionally high level of public interest. Officials said the repeated announcements, the claim that the news media had confirmed the death and the playing of the national anthem all made the report appear credible.
Ofcom also determined that 30 minutes was too long to correct such a serious error. The regulator concluded that the eventual apology did not adequately acknowledge the nature of the original mistake.
Radio Caroline said the employee responsible was reprimanded and later apologized. The station also removed the sensitive recordings from the studio computer and placed them on an external drive that can only be accessed when needed.
The station, which is operated entirely by volunteers, previously apologized to King Charles and its listeners for any distress caused. Radio Caroline began as a pirate broadcaster in 1964, transmitting from ships positioned off the British coast before eventually becoming an established community station.
King Charles III is still receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer discovered in early 2024. His treatment was reduced in 2026 after doctors reported encouraging progress, but the Palace has not said he is cancer-free or in remission.
