Share

Australian radio station may face penalties for royal hoax

Share your Subscriber Article
You have 5 articles to share every month. Send this story to a friend!
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
loading...
Loading, please wait...
Kate Middleton. (File: AP)
Kate Middleton. (File: AP)

Sydney - Australia's highest court on Wednesday cleared the way for a radio station to face penalties over a 2012 prank call to a London hospital that was caring for the Duchess of Cambridge. A nurse who transferred the call committed suicide after the broadcast.

Two Australian DJs from radio station 2DayFM impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and her son, Prince Charles, when they phoned a London hospital in 2012 to ask about the condition of the Duchess of Cambridge, who had been hospitalised for severe morning sickness.

Nurse Jacintha Saldanha took the call and passed it on to a colleague who described Kate's condition. Three days after the call was broadcast worldwide, Saldanha, 46, was found dead in her room.

Read this for free
South Africans need to be in the know if we want to create a prosperous future. News24 has kept the country informed for 25 years, and we're about to enter a new chapter of fearless journalism. Join our free subscription trial to unlock this story and a world of news aimed to inform, empower, and inspire.
Try our free 14-day trial
Already a subscriber? Sign in
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Can radio hosts and media personalities be apolitical?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes, impartiality is key for public trust
33% - 397 votes
No, let's be real, we all have inherent biases
67% - 822 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.12
+0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.67
+0.6%
Rand - Euro
20.37
+0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.27
+0.3%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.1%
Platinum
938.90
-1.2%
Palladium
1,026.50
-0.3%
Gold
2,392.97
+0.6%
Silver
28.60
+1.3%
Brent Crude
87.11
-0.2%
Top 40
67,314
+0.2%
All Share
73,364
+0.1%
Resource 10
63,285
-0.0%
Industrial 25
98,701
+0.3%
Financial 15
15,499
+0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE