Kate Middleton Prank Call Tragedy: Nurse Jacintha Saldanha Photo Released Following Her Apparent Suicide

Nurse at King Edward VII hospital reportedly committed suicide after falling for a prank call from two Australian radio DJs

By Brandi Fowler Dec 08, 2012 7:31 PMTags
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Following nurse Jacintha Saldanha's apparent suicide, a haunting photo of her has surfaced, just a day after she was found dead following a hoax gone wrong at Kate Middleton's hospital earlier this week.

In the blurry pic, the dark-haired nurse stares straight into the camera, unsmiling. 

Saldanha reportedly committed suicide days after unwittingly transferring a prank call from two Australian radio hosts who called King Edward VII Hospital and impersonated Queen Elizabeth II.

Arthur Edwards/WPA Pool/Getty Images; 2Day FM

After announcing her pregnancy, the Duchess of Cambridge had spent three days at the U.K. hospital undergoing treatment for severe morning sickness, and was released Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, the backlash is continuing to pour in for the two DJs who sparked the controversy.

In the wake of the incident, the radio hosts, Michael Christian and Mel Greig, took down their personal Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, and decided not to return to their show at 2Day FM "until further notice."

But that wasn't the end of it.

Saturday, the chairman of King Edward VII Hospital, Lord Glenarthur, sent a scathing letter to the duo's radio station, calling their actions "appalling." 

"I am writing to protest in the strongest possible terms about the hoax call made from your radio station, 2DayFM, to this hospital last Tuesday," Glenarthur wrote. "King Edward VII's Hospital cares for sick people, and it was extremely foolish of your presenters even to consider trying to lie their way through to one of our patients, let alone actually make the call."

"Then to discover that, not only had this happened, but that the call had been pre-recorded and the decision to transmit approved by your station's management, was truly appalling," Glenarthur went on. "The immediate consequence of these premeditated and ill-considered actions was the humiliation of two dedicated and caring nurses who were simply doing their job tending to their patients. The longer term consequence has been reported around the world and is, frankly, tragic beyond words."

Kate Middleton and Prince William "deeply saddened" over death of prank call nurse

"I appreciate that you cannot undo the damage which has been done but I would urge you to take steps to ensure that such an incident could never be repeated."

A day after Middleton was released from the hospital, a St. James's Palace spokesman said the royal couple was "deeply saddened" over Saldanha's death. 

The circumstances of Saldanha's passing are still being investigated, but authorities said it is not suspicious at this stage.