Duchess Kate's nurse falls for prank call from radio station pretending to be Queen Elizabeth II
The British hospital where Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, is being treated for acute morning sickness was on the receiving end of a prank call from a radio station host purporting to be Queen Elizabeth II.
King Edward VII's Hospital in London confirmed that Kate's nurse fell for a crank call from Australian radio station 2DayFM on Tuesday. The nurse ended up divulging information about the Duchess of Cambridge's condition to the radio hosts impersonating Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles.
Using poor British accents, hosts Mel Greig and "MC" called to inquire about Kate's updated condition.
Apparently thinking it was really Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles on the line, the nurse told the radio hosts that the Duchess was "sleeping at the moment and she has had an uneventful night, she's been given some fluid to re-hydrate her... she's stable at the moment."
When asked when would be a good time to visit the future king's wife, the nurse suggested, "any time after 9 o'clock," adding that, "the doctor will be in the morning, and we'll just be getting her freshened up in the morning."
The radio hosts also inquired about Kate's husband, Prince William, who was spotted leaving the hospital earlier.
"Will went home at about 9 o'clock last night," the nurse continued. "She's quite stable at the moment. She hasn't had any retching with me since I've been on duty, and she's been sleeping on and off. I think it's difficult sleeping in a strange bed as well."
The hospital released the following statement: "King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes can confirm that an Australian radio station made a hoax call to the hospital in the early hours of Tuesday morning. This call was transferred through to a ward and a short conversation was held with one of the nursing staff. King Edward VII's Hospital deeply regrets this incident."
John Lofthouse, chief executive at King Edward VII's Hospital, said: "This was a foolish prank call that we all deplore. We take patient confidentiality extremely seriously and we are now reviewing our telephone protocols."
CBS' Mark Phillips reported Wednesday that even officials had said Kate was feeling better. Phillips said William returned Wednesday to visit Kate again. The pregnancy announcement came on Monday.
The Aussie radio station, and the hosts involved in the call, issued an apology later, according to the BBC.
"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," the pair said in a statement quoted by the BBC. "We're very sorry if we've caused any issues and we're glad to hear that Kate is doing well."
Listen to the prank phone call here.