Royal Hoax DJs' Show Canceled, Hosts Mourn Jacintha Saldanha
The Australian radio show behind the hoax involving a London hospital and Kate Middleton has been canceled. The two DJ's from the show will not return to their usual timeslot on Australia's 2Day FM radio station following a telephone prank that resulted in tragedy.
DJs Michael Christian and Mel Greig called King Edward VII Hospital in early December just days after Kate Middleton was admitted for acute morning sickness. The DJs posed as members of the British royal family when speaking to nurse Jacintha Saldanha who believed them, and in turn, put them through to a colleague, who described the details of the Duchess' condition.
Three days after the prank was brought to light, Saldanha was found hanged in the hospital's nurse's rooms. The apparent suicide was assumed as related to the stress relating to the prank phone call.
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Following the nurse's suicide, Christian and Greig have not appeared on their program, and the owners of the station have announced that the show will not return.
"We look forward to Mel [Greig] and MC [Christian] returning to work when the time is right, in roles that make full use of their talents- we will discuss future roles with them when they are ready," Southern Cross Austereo chief executive Rhys Holleran told the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, the two Australian DJs behind the prank phone call have wholeheartedly apologized and expressed deep regret over their actions.
"It was the worst phone call I've ever had in my life," said Greig during an interview with an Australian TV station. "There's not a minute that goes by that we don't think about her family and what they must be going through. And the thought that we may have played a part in that is gut-wrenching."
Greig and Christian "will not return to the airwaves until further notice," according to a statement from the Southern Cross Austereo network.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released a statement also admitting grief following the nurse's death.
"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," they stated.
