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A UK radio station has issued an apology to its listeners after mistakenly announcing the death of King Charles. Radio Caroline, which broadcasts across the Midlands and South England, transmitted the message on Tuesday, May 19th, according to a listener who flagged the incident online. The listener reported that regular programming abruptly ceased before presenters declared that normal broadcasts had been suspended due to the death of King Charles III, followed by God Save the King. The station then fell silent for approximately 15 minutes before an on-air apology was delivered upon the hosts' return.

The blunder was put down to a "computer error", with Station Manager Peter Moore releasing a statement while explaining what had triggered the mistaken broadcast. In a statement shared on the radio station's Facebook page, Moore wrote: "Due to a computer error at our main studio, the Death of a Monarch procedure, which all UK stations hold in readiness while hoping not to require, was accidentally activated on Tuesday afternoon (19 May), mistakenly announcing that HRH the King had passed away.

"Radio Caroline then fell silent as would be required, which alerted us to restore programming and issue an on-air apology. Caroline has been pleased to broadcast Her Majesty the Queen's, and now the King's, Christmas Message, and we hope to do so for many years to come", reports the Daily Star.

"We apologise to HM the King and to our listeners for any distress caused." Listeners flooded the post's comments section to express their relief that the news was inaccurate, while others offered their sympathies to the radio presenters who had broadcast the erroneous obituary.

One person remarked: "On the plus side, at least you know the procedure for this is working and in place!", while another added: "I bet this made a few people stop in their tracks! It did give me a bit of a shock, but these mistakes can happen, and I was glad to find out it wasn't true."

King Charles is in good health, having arrived in Northern Ireland yesterday alongside Queen Camilla for the first day of a three-day visit. The pair enjoyed a lively start to the trip after touching down on Tuesday, being greeted with music, singing, dancing - and a taoscán of Titanic - in the capital, Belfast.

The Royal couple met with organisers and performers to mark Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann - the world's biggest festival of traditional Irish music, song and dance - which is set to descend on the city this August for the very first time.

Charles and Camilla were welcomed by over two hundred performers at Thompson Dock, the very spot where the Titanic last sat in dry dock in 1911 prior to its fateful maiden voyage. As a drummer struck up a beat, Charles, 77, could not resist tapping his feet and joining in, swaying along rhythmically to the music.