Radio Caroline has been found in breach of Ofcom's broadcasting rules after it mistakenly aired pre-recorded announcements falsely claiming King Charles III had died. The incident occurred during a live show on 19 May, when a staff member carrying out maintenance accessed obituary files prepared for use in the event of the King's actual death and played them "out of curiosity", cutting off the presenter's remote stream and broadcasting the false news. Ofcom ruled this breached rules requiring due accuracy and prompt correction of significant errors, calling it a "very significant inaccuracy" on a matter of high public interest.

The false announcements were followed by the national anthem and 16 minutes of silence on DAB+, while AM listeners heard backup music, before a correction and apology were broadcast around 30 minutes later. Ofcom noted the staff member panicked and left the premises once they realised their mistake, while the station said its presenter and director were unaware of the issue until the director heard continuous music instead of the scheduled programme. Radio Caroline, which is "100% volunteer-led", said it received only two complaints and acted quickly; it has reprimanded the staff member involved and moved the obituary files off the studio desktop to prevent a repeat.