Yes, really.
The 2Day FM announcers Mel Greig and Michael Christian called King Edward VII Hospital on Tuesday morning, pretending to be Queen and Prince Charles. Complete with a “royal corgi” barking in the background. Despite the certifiably terrible accents, the hospital put them in touch with a nurse who had been attending to Middleton (who is hospitalized for acute morning sickness during the early stages of her pregnancy). The nurse — who seemed nonchalant about the “Queen’s” inquiry about her granddaughter’s “little tummy bug — proceeded to update the pranksters on the Duchess’ condition, her treatment, and the time Prince William left the hospital.
Conversation included lines like this one: “When is a good time to come down?
The hospital released a statement saying it “deplores” the hoax and will be conducting a review of their phone system. Per Sky News:
A spokesman for the hospital said: “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.”
It only takes a phone, some bad accents, and corgis to break down the barriers of patient confidentiality.
Audio of the call below: