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  • 13
    Dec
    2012
    6:02am, EST

    Royal prank call: Duped nurse was found hanging, also had wrist injuries

    During a hearing in London's Coroner's Court today, details were revealed about the cause of death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha shortly after she took a prank phone call to the Duchess of Cambridge, including that she left three handwritten notes. NBC's Keir Simmons reports.

    By NBC News' Keir Simmons and wire reports

    Updated at 6:20 a.m. ET: LONDON — The nurse duped by two Australian radio show hosts into putting through a prank call to the hospital ward of the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge was found hanging by a scarf from a wardrobe, an official said Thursday.


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    Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was found by a colleague and a member of security staff at King Edward VII’s Hospital in the British capital on Friday, coroner's officer Lynda Martindill told a formal hearing into the circumstances of her death called an inquest.


    Police detective chief inspector James Harman told the hearing that the married mother-of-two had injuries to her wrists. 

     

    He also said that three handwritten notes were found, two at the scene and one among her belongings. 

    As well as examining the notes, Harman said police were interviewing her friends, family and colleagues and looking at emails and phone calls to establish what led to her death, The Associated Press reported.

    AFP - Getty Images

    Nurse Jacintha Saldanha was found dead days after being hoaxed by an Australian radio show.

    At the brief hearing, Coroner Fiona Wilcox opened and then adjourned the inquest until March 26 without making a ruling. Police have previously described the death as "unexplained."

    Nurse who was duped by prank call about Duchess Kate found dead

    Saldanha put the hoax call through to a colleague who disclosed details of the care given to Kate, who was being treated for acute morning sickness at the hospital.

    The prank call by Sydney radio station 2Day FM made headlines around the world, as did news that Saldanha had died.

    Southern Cross Austereo, the station’s parent company, has apologized for the stunt and said on Tuesday it would donate its advertising revenue until the end of the year to a fund for Saldanha's family, with a minimum contribution of about $525,000.

    Royal prank radio station to pay $525,000 to family of dead nurse

    However, British lawmaker Keith Vaz told Reuters that he had written to Southern Cross to express his dissatisfaction.

    Neil Hall / Reuters

    Tributes to nurse Jacintha Saldanha are seen outside the nurses' accommodation near the King Edward VII's Hospital in London on Tuesday.

    "There has been no written apology, no request for a meeting with the family and no attempt to travel to the United Kingdom to express contrition," Vaz wrote in a letter to Southern Cross chief executive Rhys Holleran that he released to the media.

    "I would be grateful if you could let me know how you arrived at this figure and why you think this adequately deals with this serious and important issue," Vaz wrote.

    DJs speak out, say they're 'heartbroken' over death of nurse in royal hoax call

    Southern Cross and its two DJs, Mel Greig and Michael Christian, have faced a barrage of criticism.

    Greig and Christian have both been suspended and their show has been scrapped. 

    The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

    Follow NBC News' Keir Simmons on Twitter.

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    332 comments

    Something else had to be going on. No one would kill themselves over something like that. I think she was having other problems.

    Show more
    Explore related topics: nurse, london, england, kate, uk, hanging, featured, duchess, jacintha-saldanha
  • 14
    Sep
    2012
    6:44am, EDT

    Prince William, Kate 'hugely saddened' by publication of topless photos

    Shamshahrin Shamsudin / EPA

    Prince William, right, and wife Kate arrive at the As-Syakirin Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Friday.

    By Sara James, NBC News, and ITV News

    KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge -- Prince William and Kate Middleton -- said Friday their privacy has been "invaded in a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner" after topless pictures of Middleton were printed by a French magazine.

    Blurry, long-lens shots of Kate, taken while she and William were on vacation in Provence, in the south of France last week, were printed in Closer magazine on Friday.

    A statement from St. James's Palace, in London, said the pair were "hugely saddened" by the publication, adding that William and Kate "had every expectation of privacy in the remote house" where they were sunbathing at the time the pictures were taken.


    The news comes as the couple makes an official tour of south-east Asia. Kate has been basking in the glow of rave reviews for her performing during her second overseas tour as a duchess -- and just 24 hours after her heralded first public speech on the international stage.

    Video: Nude Prince Harry photos leaked from Vegas party

    William and Kate, who were in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia early Friday, were told at breakfast about the embarrassing photographs, according to ITV News' Royal Correspondent Tim Ewart.


    Follow @NBCNewsWorld

    "The pictures almost certainly won't be published in Britain, although The Sun did print photographs of Prince Harry naked in Las Vegas," he reported. "It hardly matters, though. They will be readily available on the internet."

    The statement issued by St James’s Palace in London on Friday said:

    Their Royal Highnesses have been hugely saddened to learn that a French publication and a photographer have invaded their privacy in such a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner.

    The incident is reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, and all the more upsetting to The Duke and Duchess for being so.

    Their Royal Highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house. It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them.

    Officials acting on behalf of Their Royal Highnesses are consulting with lawyers to consider what options may be available to The Duke and Duchess.

     

    UK's Prince Harry returns to battle in Afghanistan

    William, who was devastated by the death of his mother Princess Diana following a high-speed car chase by paparazzi in 1997, had hoped to shield his wife from the darker side of a live lived in public.

    See more news on The Royals from TODAY.com

    For the couple, who were vacationing at the home of a friend, the end of their honeymoon with some quarters of the media is sure to spark wider anger, especially given her pitch-perfect performance on this high-profile tour.

    "The Duke and Duchess remain focused currently on their tour of Singapore, Malaysia, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu," a palace spokesperson said.

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    42 comments

    The 12th century Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, accompanied her first husband, King Louis of France, on Crusade. (She later married Henry II of England) Contemporary accounts describe her as riding with Louis, dressed like an Amazon, bare breasted. This has never been substantiated. In the film, "Lion …

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    Explore related topics: britain, royals, duke, kate, william, topless, photos, paparazzi, featured, duchess

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