Death of Jacintha Saldanha
Jacintha Saldanha in a family photograph.
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| Date | 7 December 2012 |
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| Location | Charterhouse Annexe, King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes, London |
| Cause | Suicide by hanging |
| Non-fatal injuries | Marks also found on wrist |
| Burial | 17 December 2012, Shirva, Karnataka, India |
| Inquest | Preliminary held 13 December 2012, full 11 & 12 September 2014 |
| Coroner | Fiona Wilcox |
Jacintha Saldanha (1966 – 7 December 2012) was a British-Indian nurse who worked at King Edward VII's Hospital in the City of Westminster, London. On 7 December 2012, she was found dead by suicide, three days after falling for a prank phone call as part of a radio stunt. In the prank call, the hosts of the Australian radio programme Hot30 Countdown, broadcast on the Southern Cross Austereo-owned station 2Day FM in Sydney, called Saldanha's hospital and impersonated the Queen and the Prince of Wales enquiring about the health of the Duchess of Cambridge, who was a patient there at the time. Saldanha fell for the hoax and transferred the call to the nurse looking after the Duchess.
Saldanha's suicide led to public outrage, including in Saldanha's home country against those responsible for perpetrating and broadcasting the prank. Despite numerous calls for legal action, no charges were laid.
Saldanha was 46 years old at the time of her death. She was born in Mangalore India and had lived in Oman for several years before moving to England in approximately 2002. In December 2012, she was staying in nurse's quarters at her London workplace for the sake of convenience, while her husband, their 16-year-old son, and their 14-year-old daughter resided in Bristol.
Saldanha did not have any history of mental illness or depression.
On 2 December 2012, St James's Palace announced that Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, was pregnant and had been admitted to King Edward VII's Hospital in London due to hyperemesis gravidarum, or "severe morning sickness." On 4 December, at about 5:30 am London time (GMT) or 4:30 pm Sydney time (AEST), the hosts of the Hot30 Countdown radio programme, Mel Greig and Mike Christian, called the hospital and spoke to Saldanha. Impersonating Elizabeth II, Greig said: "Oh hello there, could I please speak to Kate please, my granddaughter." Saldanha responded, "Oh yes. Hold on," and transferred the call to the Duchess's nurse, who spent approximately two minutes speaking with Greig as well as Christian, the latter impersonating Prince Charles. The hosts used what were later described as "ridiculous comedy accents."
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