Australian DJ who made royal hoax call to Kate’s hospital in tears at nurse’s inquest

LONDON – An Australian DJ who made a hoax call to a hospital caring for the Duchess of Cambridge tearfully apologized Friday to the family of a nurse who committed suicide after the broadcast.

DJ Melanie Greig posed as Queen Elizabeth II during the call to the London hospital in December 2012. Nurse Jacintha Saldanha took the call, and passed it on to a colleague who described the condition of Kate, then pregnant with her first baby, to Greig and another DJ impersonating Prince Charles.

Three days after the call was broadcast worldwide, Saldanha, 46, was found dead in her room.

Coroner Fiona Wilcox did not criticize the DJs or their radio station, but told an inquest that the hoax call had clearly been pressing on Saldanha’s mind in the days before she took her life.

The inquest heard evidence including emails to colleagues in which Saldanha blamed herself for being deceived.

Addressing the inquest, Greig said: “I really just wanted to say I am truly sorry. I’ve wanted to say that for so long.”

“This tragedy will always stay with me and serve as a constant reminder,” she added.

Kate was being treated at London’s King Edward VII Hospital at the time for severe morning sickness.