ESSEX — Radio Caroline apologized on air after a computer error at its main studio in Essex caused the station to broadcast an erroneous announcement on Tuesday afternoon, May 19, that King Charles III had died. The station's Death of a Monarch procedure was accidentally activated, triggering pre-prepared messages before staff restored normal programming.

According to a Facebook statement from the station, the activation mistakenly announced that the King had passed away. The station then fell silent as required by the procedure before staff intervened.

One of the broadcast announcements stated: "His Majesty King Charles III has passed away. As a mark of respect, we will play continuous, suitable music until further notice." A further message said: "This is Radio Caroline. We have suspended our normal programs until further notice as a mark of respect following the passing of His Majesty King Charles III."

After the false announcement, the station played "God Save the King" over the airwaves and then remained silent for roughly 15 minutes before programming was restored and the on-air apology was issued. On Wednesday afternoon, playback for Tuesday's broadcast between 1:58 pm and 5:00 pm was unavailable on the station's website.

British broadcasters are required to keep detailed procedures ready for the death of a reigning monarch, including pre-prepared announcements and programming changes. The King and Queen were in Northern Ireland when the incident occurred, where they joined a performance with a folk group. On the first day of their visit, Charles, 77, and Camilla, 78, watched dancers and sampled Irish whiskey in Belfast's Titanic Quarter.

Radio Caroline was established in 1964 as a pirate radio station that operated from ships off the English coast. After legislation in 1967 forced many pirate broadcasters to close, the station continued intermittently before ending offshore broadcasts in 1990. The station and similar pirate broadcasters inspired the 2009 comedy film "The Boat That Rocked," starring Bill Nighy and Philip Seymour Hoffman.