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A nurse at the hospital that was duped by a prank call from two Australian radio DJs concerning Prince William's pregnant wife, Catherine, has apparently committed suicide, the hospital confirmed Friday.
The nurse "was recently the victim of a hoax call," King Edward VII Hospital said in a media 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.
Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was found dead early Friday at apartments affiliated with King Edward VII hospital in central London, where she worked for four years. The death is being treated as unexplained, but police did not find anything suspicious. It will be up to a coroner to decide how she died. 2DayFM, the Australian station that performed the prank early Tuesday, said in a statement posted on Facebook and Twitter that two disc jockeys, Mel Greig and Michael Christian, would not return to the station until further notice. They had apologized for the hoax Wednesday.
Saldanha took the hoax call by the pair, who impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles to elicit information on the duchess, the hospital said. Saldanha later transferred the call to the nurse caring for the duchess, who was admitted to the hospital Monday with acute morning sickness. "Our thoughts and deepest sympathies at this time are with her family and friends," hospital chief executive John Lofthouse said in a statement. "Everyone is shocked by the loss of a much loved and valued colleague." St. James's Palace, the office of the duchess and her husband Prince William, also expressed sadness at the death, but insisted that it had not complained about the hoax. "On the contrary, we offered our full and heartfelt support to the nurses involved and hospital staff at all times," the palace said in a statement.
Saldanha's family asked for privacy in a statement issued through London police. "We as a family are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved Jacintha," the statement said. During the hoax call, a woman using the often-mimicked voice of Britain's monarch asked about the duchess' health. She was told by the second nurse who took the call from Saldanha that the duchess, the former Kate Middleton, "hasn't had any retching with me and she's been sleeping on and off." The nurse went on to tell the personalities that the duchess had had an uneventful night, as a dog barking sound was heard in the background. The alleged queen and prince talk about traveling to the hospital to check in on the patient. The hospital said it supported Saldanha in the aftermath of the call and that its phone protocols were under review.
The Australian station placed the recording of the conversation on its website, but later said it was sorry. "We were very surprised that our call was put through. We thought we'd be hung up on as soon as they heard our terrible accents," Greig and Christian said in a joint statement with the station at the time. "We're very sorry if we've caused any issues and we're glad to hear that Kate is doing well." The station's chief executive officer, Rhys Holleran, had spoken with the presenters after the nurse's death, and that both were deeply shocked. The hosts "have decided that they will not return to their radio show until further notice out of respect for what can only be described as a tragedy." Christian's Twitter account has since been taken down. Officials from St. James's Palace have said the duchess is not yet 12 weeks pregnant. The child would be the first for her and Prince William.
Source
King Edward VII Hospital said Jacintha Saldanha had been a victim of the call made by two Australian radio disc jockeys, who impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles to elicit information on the duchess. Scotland Yard said officers responded at approximately 9:35 a.m. to reports of a woman found unconscious at an address in central London. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, and the death is being treated as unexplained but not suspicious. "Our thoughts and deepest sympathies at this time are with her family and friends," said John Lofthouse, the hospital's chief executive said in a statement. "Everyone is shocked by the loss of a much loved and valued colleague."
Hospital officials said Saldanha was the nurse who answered the initial call from the radio station, not the one who divulged the medical information about the duchess, Peter Ashcroft, who is handling media relations for the hospital, tells CBSNews.com. A St. James' 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."
The Duchess of Cambridge, the former Kate Middleton, had been in the hospital for acute morning sickness. The prank phone call took place early Tuesday and the two radio personalities apologized the following day. Saldanha had worked at the hospital for more than four years.
Source
An outpouring of anger is being directed today at the two Australian radio hosts after the death of a nurse who was caught in the DJs' prank call to hospital where Kate Middleton was treated earlier this week. Lord Glenarthur, the chairman of King Edward VII's Hospital - the U.K. hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was receiving treatment, condemned the prank in a letter to the Max Moore-Wilton, chairman of Southern Cross Austereo, the Australian radio station's parent company. Glenarthur said the prank humiliated "two dedicated and caring nurses," and the consequences were "tragic beyond words," The Associated Press reported.
DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian, radio shock jocks at Sydney's 2Day FM have been taken off the air, but the company they work for did not fire them or condemn them. "I think that it's a bit early to be drawing conclusions from what is really a deeply tragic matter," Rhys Holleran, CEO of Southern Cross Austereo told a news conference in Sydney. "I mean, our main concern is for the family. I don't think anyone could have reasonably foreseen that this was going to be a result." Nurse Jacintha Saldanha was found dead Friday morning after police were called to an address near the hospital to "reports of a woman found unconscious," according to a statement from Scotland Yard.
Circumstances of her death are still being investigated, but are not suspicious at this stage, authorities said Friday. Following news of Saldanha's death, commentary on social media included posts expressing shock, sadness and anger. A sampling of some of the twitter posts directed at the DJs included: "you scumbag, hope you get what's coming to you" and "I hope you're happy now." The hospital said that Saldanha worked at the hospital for more than four years. They called her a "first-class nurse" and "a well-respected and popular member of the staff."
The hospital extended their "deepest sympathies" to family and friends, saying that "everyone is shocked" at this "tragic event." "I am devastated with the tragic loss of my beloved wife Jacintha in tragic circumstances, she will be laid to rest in Shirva, India," Saldanha's husband posted on Facebook. The duchess spent three days at the hospital undergoing treatment for hyperemesis gravidarum, severe or debilitating nausea and vomiting. She was released from the hospital on Thursday morning. "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jacintha Saldanha," a spokesman from St. James Palace said in a statement.
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As pranks go, this was extremely mild. Unless this woman was mentally unstable, it didn't cause her death.
Unfortunately the nurse must have been a very sensitive, troubled person and not doubt she received a lot of criticism from her superiors and other nurses.... God knows people can be cruel!
So that may have been enough to tip her over the edge to take this unwarranted action.
Unfortunately the nurse must have been a very sensitive, troubled person and not doubt she received a lot of criticism from her superiors and other nurses.... God knows people can be cruel!
So that may have been enough to tip her over the edge to take this unwarranted action.
Just imagine if someone had pulled the old 20 pizza delivery prank on her. She might have gone on a citywide shooting...err...knifing spree.
Methinks there is going to be an opening for DJ's in Australia.
Methinks there is going to be an opening for DJ's in Australia.
Well...there's definitely a new opening for a nurse at King Edward VII Hospital in London.
