Radio Caroline has been found in breach of broadcasting regulations after mistakenly announcing the death of King Charles III during a live broadcast in May. The Essex-based station aired pre-recorded sound files incorrectly reporting the monarch’s passing, leading to an Ofcom investigation and two complaints from listeners.

According to Ofcom, the incident occurred when a member of Radio Caroline staff, while performing maintenance on a studio computer, accessed and played the files out of curiosity. Unaware that the audio would be transmitted live on air, the employee continued until realising the mistake, at which point they stopped the playback, panicked, and left the premises. The erroneous messages included an announcement suspending normal programming as a mark of respect following the supposed death of King Charles III. This was followed by the playing of the national anthem and approximately 16 minutes of silence before the presenter issued an on-air apology.

In response to the error, the presenter stated: “I’ve just been informed that we’ve played in error some information a little earlier. I didn’t hear this myself, but it is incorrect, it’s a technical issue; of course we apologise.” Ofcom cited this delay in clarification, which came about 30 minutes after the initial broadcast, as a violation of rules requiring that mistakes be promptly acknowledged and corrected.

The regulator determined that the broadcast was a significant inaccuracy concerning an issue of particular public importance, specifically the state of the reigning monarch. It ruled that Radio Caroline breached the requirements for accurate and impartial news reporting.

Radio Caroline acknowledged the seriousness of the incident and said it acted as quickly as possible once the error was identified. The staff member responsible was reprimanded and issued an apology. The station also removed the relevant files from the studio computer and reminded its presenters and support staff of proper procedures to prevent a recurrence.