Hospital nurse found dead after Duchess of Cambridge prank

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The nurse at King Edward VII Hospital in London that was duped by a prank call from 2Day FM DJs in Sydney, Australia over Prince William’s pregnant wife, Catherine, has apparently committed suicide, the hospital confirmed.


The nurse “was recently the victim of a hoax call,” the said in a statement.

The DJs impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles in the prank call, in which some details of the Duchess of Cambridge’s condition and care were given.

The nurse, Jacintha Saldanha, was the person who first took the call and transferred it through to Catherine’s ward, the hospital said. She had worked at the hospital for more than four years as an “excellent nurse,” who was well respected by co-workers, reported CNN/KOCO-TV.

The hospital “had been supporting her throughout this difficult time,” the statement said.

The Duchess of Cambridge was discharged from the hospital Thursday after treatment for acute morning sickness.

A St. James’s Palace spokesman said: “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jacintha Saldanha.

“Their Royal Highnesses were looked after so wonderfully well at all times by everybody at King Edward VII Hospital, and their thoughts and prayers are with Jacintha Saldanha’s family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time.”

Audio of the call posted online suggested a woman spoke briefly to the DJs, before the call was put through to the ward.

The hospital said 12/5 that it deeply regretted the call had been put through.

The radio show apologized for the call the same day, saying it “was done with light-hearted intentions.”

The two DJs, Mel Greig and Michael Christian, have decided to step down from their show indefinitely. That was announced via a statement released by their afternoon “Summer 30” and media company Southern Cross Austereo on Facebook. They will step down from the show “until further notice.”

See the CNN story here.

RBR-TVBR observation: We figure someone at the hospital—maybe an administrator—may have been at fault here too. The prank embarrassed the hospital, and Saldanha probably got at least verbally disciplined. While the prank should have been no big deal, now that this happened, it is more likely that what the hospital CEO John Lofthouse told The UK Independent may happen: They’re looking at legal action against the broadcaster.