Trigger warning: The following story talks about suicide.
In December 2012, a prank call involving Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge at the time, made headlines worldwide. That’s because what began as a seemingly harmless radio stunt ended with a tragic death.
On Dec. 3, 2012, Kate, pregnant with her first child, was admitted to King Edward VII’s Hospital in London due to severe morning sickness. As news of her hospitalization spread, two Australian radio hosts saw an opportunity for what they thought would be a harmless prank. On Dec. 4, Mel Greig and Michael Christian, hosts of the popular Hot30 Countdown show on Sydney’s 2Day FM, placed a prank call to the hospital impersonating Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles. Using exaggerated fake accents, the duo wanted to see how long it would take for the hospital to hang up on them. To their surprise, their call went through.
Despite the unlikely scenario of royalty personally calling the hospital, the prank was a success. Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse who answered the initial call, transferred them to another nurse who provided details about the Duchess’s condition. Greig and Christian never intended to get classified information about Kate’s health. And yet, they still decided to air the whole prank unedited. As expected, the call was broadcast multiple times and quickly went viral, attracting international attention.
People were delighted to see how easy it was to obtain private information about one of the world’s most famous individuals. Greig and Christian got fame and recognition beyond their wildest dreams. Sadly, it came at the cost of a life.
The 2012 Kate Middleton prank call claimed the life of an innocent nurse
On Dec. 7, 2012, 46-year-old Jacintha Saldanha was found dead by suicide in her nurse’s quarters at the hospital. The mother of two had left behind several suicide notes, one of which named the two radio hosts and cited their prank call as the reason for taking her life. Saldanha couldn’t stand the pressure of falling for the prank call, especially when the world witnessed her mistake. She reasonably feared to be blacklisted everywhere and felt her career was over.
The fallout from the prank call was immediate and far-reaching. The radio station faced intense scrutiny and criticism, eventually canceling the show and suspending all prank calls. Southern Cross Austereo, the parent company of 2Day FM, donated $500,000 to a trust fund for Saldanha’s family. The royal family also expressed their condolences to Saldanha’s family, with Kate Middleton and Prince William stating they were “deeply saddened” by the news. Prince William even wrote a personal letter of condolence to Saldanha’s husband.
As expected, Mel Greig and Michael Christian were taken off the air. Greig, in particular, struggled in the aftermath. She faced constant online persecution and threats, eventually leaving her job in radio and moving to the Gold Coast to start afresh. However, the incident continued to haunt her. In a 2023 interview for The New Zealand Herald, Greig revealed that she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) more than a decade after the incident.
The horrible aftermath of the prank call is a cautionary tale for people willing to do anything to increase their audience numbers. The event is also used as a study case in discussions about media regulation and the potential harm done by prank calls. Finally, the death of Saldanha keeps raising questions about the ethical responsibility of broadcasters. Her death is now a cautionary tale, but the glaring fact that remains is the careless handling of a prank call pushed an innocent to such a drastic step.
