Peter Moore Apologizes After Radio Caroline Mistake — King Charles Iii Radio Apology

Radio Caroline issued a king charles iii radio apology after an automated message wrongly announced that King Charles III had died on May 19. Station manager Peter Moore apologized on May 20 after the U.K.-based station said a computer error at its main studio triggered the mistake.

Moore said the station accidentally activated the Death of a Monarch procedure on Tuesday afternoon, 19 May. In his statement, he wrote: "Due to a computer error at our main studio," and added that "the Death of a Monarch procedure, which all UK stations hold in readiness while hoping not to require, was accidentally activated on Tuesday afternoon (19 May), mistakenly announcing that HM the King had passed away."

Peter Moore Apology

The automated message said, "We have suspended our normal program until further notice as a mark of respect for His Majesty King Charles III." It then stated, "This is Radio Caroline. His Majesty King Charles III has passed away." The message ended with, "As a sign of respect, we will now be playing appropriate continuous music until further notice," before playing "God Save the King."

Moore said, "Radio Caroline then fell silent as would be required, which alerted us to restore programming and issue an on-air apology," and he added, "Caroline has been pleased to broadcast Her Majesty the Queen's, and now the King's Christmas Message and we hope to do so for many years to come. We apologize to HM the King and to our listeners for any distress caused." The station's apology followed the false announcement the same day it happened.

Belfast Visit on May 19

King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on the same day as the mistaken announcement. Charles observed a robotics demonstration during the STEM-based workshop W5 Life in Belfast, while Camilla spent the afternoon with children at Fane Street Primary School.

Charles concluded the day with a celebration for Fleadh Cheoil na héireann. The contrast between the false station message and his public appearance made the error immediately visible as a station-side failure, not a reflection of the monarch's schedule.

Radio Caroline Procedure

Radio Caroline said all U.K. stations hold the Death of a Monarch procedure in readiness. In this case, the station said the system was activated by mistake and then shut down the normal broadcast flow until staff restored programming and apologized on air.

For listeners, the practical effect was limited to the false on-air message and the brief silence that followed. The station has already acknowledged the error, and the record now shows that the monarch was in Belfast on May 19 while the broadcast system at the main studio malfunctioned.