Radio Caroline, a former British pirate radio station, issued an apology on Wednesday for an accidental announcement of King Charles III's death. The station stated that the erroneous announcement, which occurred on Tuesday afternoon, was the result of a computer error at its main studio located in Maldon, eastern Essex.

According to station manager Peter Moore, the computer malfunction inadvertently triggered the 'death of a monarch procedure', a protocol maintained by all UK stations in readiness for such an event. Following the erroneous trigger, Radio Caroline reportedly fell silent, as per procedure, which then alerted staff to restore programming and broadcast an immediate on-air apology.

Moore conveyed the station's regret, stating, "We apologise to HM (his majesty) the king and to our listeners for any distress caused." He also expressed the station's pleasure in broadcasting the Christmas messages of both Queen Elizabeth II and now King Charles III, hoping to continue this tradition for many years to come.

The unfortunate incident took place while King Charles and Queen Camilla were on an engagement in Northern Ireland, participating in a performance with an Irish folk group. Although the exact duration of the mistake was not specified in the social media post, reports from the domestic Press Association news agency indicated that playback for Tuesday's broadcast between 1:58 pm and 5:00 pm was unavailable on the station's website on Wednesday afternoon.

Radio Caroline boasts a rich history, having been established in 1964 with the aim of challenging the BBC's broadcasting monopoly. It famously operated from ships moored in international waters off the English coast. Despite legislation in 1967 that led to the closure of many pirate broadcasters, Radio Caroline continued its operations intermittently before finally ceasing offshore broadcasts in 1990.

The legacy of Radio Caroline and other similar pirate stations is notable, having served as the inspiration for the 2009 comedy film "The Boat that Rocked," which starred Bill Nighy and Philip Seymour Hoffman and depicted a group of eccentric DJs living and working at sea.