QuickCheck: Did King Charles pass away?

REPORTS that Britain's King Charles III had died began circulating after a UK radio station unexpectedly broadcast an announcement of his death. Listeners to Radio Caroline heard its regular programming interrupted by an announcement saying that the King had passed away, followed by the British national anthem and a period of silence. Verdict: FALSE King Charles III is alive, and the announcement was broadcast by mistake. Radio Caroline, an independent radio station based in Essex, apologised after erroneously announcing the death of the British monarch on May 19. Since then, stories of the monarch's 'death' have resurfaced on social media. A staff member was carrying out maintenance on a studio computer and found pre-recorded files meant for the monarch's potential death. Playing one of these files accidentally triggered the announcement over live airwaves. The broadcast activated Radio Caroline's protocol for a monarch's death, interrupting programming and playing God Save the King before a 16-minute silence. About half an hour later, a presenter corrected the error, stating it was due to a technical issue and apologised. Radio Caroline later issued a formal apology to King Charles and its listeners. The King was actively engaged in Northern Ireland with Queen Camilla at the time of the broadcast. Recent evidence confirms he remains alive, including official messages from the King for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and continued royal engagements in August. The incident was purely accidental, with no evidence of the monarch's actual death.