British listeners are accustomed to formal announcements when members of the royal family pass away, but what happened on May 19, 2023, at Radio Caroline crossed into unprecedented territory. The station mistakenly aired pre-recorded messages declaring that King Charles III had died—even though he was very much alive.
The incident gained renewed attention Tuesday following the release of findings by Ofcom, Britain's communications regulator, which revealed new details about how the error unfolded.
During Barry Marsh's radio program, a station employee was performing routine maintenance on the studio computer. While working, he accessed files that had been prepared in advance for the eventuality of the monarch's death. According to information provided to the regulator, the worker played the recordings out of curiosity, not realizing that doing so would broadcast them directly to listeners.
The result was dramatic: three pre-recorded announcements about Charles's death went out over the air, including one stating that the station was suspending regular programming "as a mark of respect" to the king. The British national anthem then played, followed by approximately 16 minutes of dead air.
What happened next was almost unbelievable. When the employee realized the severity of his mistake, he attempted to alert the program host. But the host didn't answer his phone, believing he was still on air remotely as usual. According to reports, the worker panicked and left the premises.
Only afterward did the station manage to resume normal broadcasting. The host apologized to listeners and clarified that the report of the king's death was erroneous. Within a short time, it became clear that this was a technical mishap rather than a genuine event.
But from Ofcom's perspective, the mistake was serious. The regulator determined that the station had violated broadcasting rules on two counts: accuracy in news reporting and timely correction of significant errors. Two complaints were filed following the broadcast, and the regulator emphasized that false reporting of the monarch's death is a matter of substantial public importance.
Radio Caroline acknowledged the error and took steps to prevent recurrence. The employee received a formal reprimand, and the station moved sensitive files related to royal death announcements to an external drive, ensuring they would not be so easily accessible on the studio computer.
