UK station triggers monarch death protocol while king jokes through Ireland visitLast updated: May 20, 2026 | 17:593 MIN READBritain's King Charles III and Britain's Queen Camilla play bodhran drums, traditional Irish drums, as they watch dancers perform to mark Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann coming to Belfast this August, at Thompson Dock in Belfast, Northern Ireland on May 19, 2026, during their three-day visit to Northern Ireland.AFPKing Charles III found himself at the centre of an extraordinary sequence of events during his visit to Ireland and Northern Ireland this week — beginning with a UK radio station mistakenly announcing his death and ending with the monarch being splattered by a seagull during a public appearance.The bizarre chain of moments began on Tuesday when UK broadcaster Radio Caroline accidentally aired a false announcement claiming the king had died, abruptly interrupting normal programming before playing “God Save the King” and falling silent for around 15 minutes, the Mirror reported.The station later apologised, blaming the incident on a “computer error” that mistakenly activated the broadcaster’s official “Death of a Monarch” procedure — a protocol British radio stations keep prepared for the eventual death of a reigning monarch.In a statement, station manager Peter Moore said the system had been “accidentally activated”, leading to the erroneous announcement 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,” Moore said.The station apologised to both the king and listeners “for any distress caused”.The false report spread quickly online, shocking listeners before clarification emerged that the king was very much alive — and in fact continuing his engagements in Ireland.Outreach in IrelandCharles, 77, who is undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, spent Tuesday and Wednesday touring Belfast and Northern Ireland alongside Queen Camilla as part of an official visit focused on culture, youth initiatives and community outreach.During a stop at Belfast’s Thompson Dock — the final dry dock location of the Titanic before its ill-fated 1912 maiden voyage — Charles and Camilla joined traditional Irish musicians in playing the bodhran, a traditional Irish drum.The royal couple also watched a hip-hop performance by local students, with one performer later joking that the king had requested a “royal hip-hop lesson”.“He wants us to teach him how to do hip-hop,” King’s Trust ambassador Jamie Fagan said.Charles and Camilla later met young musicians, dancers and community representatives during the trip, while Camilla separately visited a Belfast primary school noted for its cultural diversity, where students speak 47 languages between them.Unscripted momentBut it was another unscripted moment on Wednesday that grabbed headlines.While greeting crowds during a visit to Newcastle in Northern Ireland, a seagull flying overhead splattered the king’s suit jacket, with some of the mess also landing on nearby members of the press.“It’s well it didn’t land on my head,” Charles joked afterwards, according to witnesses.One local resident told reporters the incident was actually considered lucky.“Being hit by a sea gull, it’s supposed to be good luck,” Irene Marting said after meeting the king.The monarch had earlier appeared to foreshadow the incident while visiting a food pantry, where he jokingly picked up a roll of toilet paper and remarked: “Very important.”The visit also carried political significance.Irish President Catherine Connolly confirmed earlier this week that Charles had accepted an invitation to visit Ireland next year, which would mark only the second official visit to Ireland by a British monarch since Irish independence in 1921.The late Queen Elizabeth II made the first such historic visit in 2011.With inputs from AFP, APRelated Topics:Get Updates on Topics You ChooseUp Next