King Charles' Death Was Falsely Announced on Radio After Staffer Played Prepared Files

Radio Caroline mistakenly announced on May 19, 2026, that King Charles had died during The Barry Marsh Show when a staff member played the three pre-recorded statements.

Now, the U.K. media regulator Ofcom said the radio station breached broadcast standards. It received two complaints about the reports, which interrupted the station’s regular music programming.

In a third statement, per Ofcom's August 10 bulletin, the station said “news media” had confirmed Charles’ death. The national anthem then played, followed by one of the statements again.

After about 16 minutes of silence, regular programming resumed.

According to Ofcom’s bulletin, the show was streaming from a remote location when a staffer found three pre-recorded files prepared for Charles’ death while maintaining a studio computer.

Radio Caroline "explained that these files are accompanied with ‘a set of strict instructions to presenters and managers’ to follow before being aired, but, out of curiosity, the member of staff played the files, which stopped the stream from the presenter’s remote location, and broadcast the files on air."

After realizing what had happened, the staffer stopped playing the files and left the office.

The show's host was on a call and didn’t realize the recordings had aired. Once he noticed, he contacted a station engineer who was already investigating the issue before returning to the regular program.

About 30 minutes after the statement was aired, the host apologized to listeners, confirming that Charles was not dead.

"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, and of course we apologize," the host said.

In the bulletin, Ofcom said it considered Radio Caroline's situation to be a breach of two rules under the Broadcasting Code.

The first code reads, "News, in whatever form, must be reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality."

The second code says, "Significant mistakes in news should normally be acknowledged and corrected on air quickly. Corrections should be appropriately scheduled…"

The radio station stated it "took the matter very seriously, and much activity was taking place during those 30 minutes leading up to the apology."

Additionally, the station's staff acted "as soon as they could," with the staffer at fault "reprimanded," and who has since "apologized."

The hosts and staff were also "reminded of the relevant procedures," Radio Caroline told Ofcom.