by Iain Maciver, former BBC radio DJ turned journalist
The outpouring of venom against the very funny and original duo on 2Day FM in Sydney, Australia, is completely unjustified. Their wind-ups were fast becoming the stuff of legend but a tragic sequence of events has put paid to that and possibly to their careers. To me, it is merely further evidence that, just as in medieval times, the less-intelligent among us will become a baying mob in the blink of an eye.
To properly judge Mel Greig and Michael Christian, as the mob fail to do, you should just ask if the pair set out out to cause harm. The answer has to be no. Why? The reason for their prank was obviously part of their remit to entertain a radio audience so it was neither done to cause harm, to deliberately cause offence nor to make a direct personal financial gain. If it somehow went badly wrong, as it did because of the tragedy when the nurse Jacintha Saldanha died, there was always a chance of public outrage but that is not the same as setting out to cause offence.
Until news came of her death, there was no real offence taken. The prank was called rude and cheeky and unfortunate by many. Some even dared to call it brave and exciting. Prince Charles made a joke about it. There was no official complaint by Prince William and his wife. We all just wanted to make sure it was not allowed to happen again. Now, incisors bared, online commenters who two days ago complained it was off-colour now say the pair were cruel, must be sacked and maintain hanging is too good for them.
Should they have done the prank in the first place? Probably not. There should have been, at the very least, a moment of reflection on the ethics of calling up a sick woman who was expecting a child and inquiring about her medical condition and thereby invading her privacy. I also understand the over-riding temptation because of who she was and the chance to impersonate Her Maj and Charlie Boy. Crikey. This was not Winnie from Wagga Wagga. However, they should have decided to wind up someone else that morning. But, purely in terms of radio pranks, it had everything. It was a cracker. Good onya, mate.
We are talking about Australia where the Royal Family is, if not derided, at least seen by most people as a quaint institution which their bizarrely-sycophantic British subjects prop up with ever-increasing stacks of money in handouts while cutting back on essential medical services like home carers for the elderly, pensions and road gritting when the ice comes. This, after all, is the country whose former premier Paul Keating thought nothing of touching the Queen’s back area in 1992. The British press went apoplectic. Poor Keating didn’t even understand what the fuss was about – like the rest of his fellow Aussies.
Lazy journalists have been pointing out the other breaches of regulations which the 2Day FM station has been castigated for in the last few years. Completely irrelevant, I would say. Greig and Christian were not involved in these pranks. This is a lively fun station – a bit like Radio 1 used to be before the dead hand of the bean counter and the ghastly and costly BBC Trust smothered its soul and contrived to give it the present politically-correct graveyard atmosphere which so few bother with if they have decent reception of another chart station. Retired generals think they are too jolly with these damned colonials making fun of Lillibet? Off with their heads.
It was proper though that the two DJs were sent home until the fuss dies down. That will take a few weeks but my fear is that original, breathtaking, awe-inspiring impromptu comedy on radio will now be suppressed in the Australia backlash. Bosses will come under pressure to crack the whip as they too quiver at threats of an advertising drought brought about by humourless droids. They may comply too readily. For those who pooh-pooh the idea and say that will not happen, wait and see. It has already happened and left stale airwaves in a land far away called the United Kingdom.
“Daft, I call it”
I’m sure when the offending parties decided to phone the hospital and inquire about the future Mrs. Wills, they never dreamt for a minute that the call would go through. And after listening to the entire interview I’m not sure that it wasn’t another like-minded larrikin in the next booth pretending to be a nurse.
What dimwitted nurse would even consider discussing the Royal families health issues over the phone anyway? Banish her to the land down under, on second thoughts DON’T. We already have a village idiot, and that position is well and truly occupied by a redhead they refer to with “not such a polite name”
Her Maj, should take umbrage to the brazenness of those insubordinate colonials and banish the country right into republicanism, that’d fix ‘em for sure. (I know I’d vote for it)
I’m so over being told what to do and when to do it by the Monarchy. Sure she’s a lovely Queen, but when all is said and done this is 2012 and time for us ‘down under’ to move ahead and leave some of those shackles that bind us to G.B., behind.
This is all very unfortunate.
The radio station and its presenters should be brought to task.
They intruded into the royal couple’s private and sensitive affairs by making the phone call, purely for 2 minutes of cheap titilation.
What a gormless article. Defending titillation to avoid ‘stale airwaves’. Most decent folk are brought up to learn that if you act stupidly, you take stupid risks you have to stand up and take the consequences in full.
Then some Republican decides to use the death of a woman as a platform, calling the Nurse dimwitted.
Is this the dumbed down DJ-led Australia we want?
Get a grip, these kind of people think entertainment involves lying, being dishonest, and deceiving people. All vile, disgusting qualities in the real World. Did you never thingk something like this couldn’t happen? If so you’re a lot stupider than I realized. Grow up and stop trying to defend the indefensible. And don’t bother with the retort, its only a bit if fun – yes it is, for uneducated morons. Try to use your brain and do something witty, or funny.
I notice the blogger is a DJ and a Scot. Obvious when you read it again.
“you should just ask if the pair set out out to cause harm” – is that now considered to be a defense for all situations – what about if you’re drunk driving then…..
With regard to “I’m so over being told what to do and when to do it by the Monarchy. Sure she’s a lovely Queen, but when all is said and done this is 2012 and time for us ‘down under’ to move ahead and leave some of those shackles that bind us to G.B., behind.” – most of us over here agree, we wish you would move on – only too glad to help you on your way. Perhaps if more of your compatriots who felt that way, dropped what appears to be the obsession with antagonizing the UK and got on with their lives instead of seeking cheap titillation from gossip radio then a woman who was a trained nurse, wife and mother of two wouldn’t be dead & lying on a slab three weeks before Christmas.
Most reasonable people accept that no malice was intended and the outcome could not be foreseen however the outcome is what it is and a woman lies dead because it would appear of the chain of events that this pair knowingly started.
You’re entitled to your opinion, but she was also entitled to perform her job with professionalism and not become the centre of attention because of two Australian idiots. You’re free to side with them if that makes you feel a better person.
It wasn’t intended to cause harm – but it did and it wasn’t low profile either. The fact that its a high profile prank means that it needs to be approached differently to say sending a pizza to the wrong house. High profile pranks have consequences and aren’t without victims – there’s the difference and its one that appears to allude Mr Mciver.
I call bullsh*t.
You make a call to someone you have no knowledge of, in fact don’t even know who you are going to speak to, embarrass them, record the conversation illegally and then trumpet it on the international media. Of course you are going to cause that person distress, and put them under significant stress. You have no idea of the consequences. You may get away with one such prank but do it again and again and eventually and inevitable someone will respond as this lady so regrettably did. These events were entirely foreseeable.
Mt DJ – stop thinking about how you might make money, increase your public profile or whatever other benefit you are seeking to gain from this tragedy and get on with living a better life.
When you put someone in the postion of potentially losing their job and career (which the poor nurse was – she wasn’t because the hospital was understanding, but a terrorfied person is unlikely to be thinking that clearly).
It is not just a “joke”.
It was at best a completely rubbish joke, the radio equiverlent of a whoopy cushion, and it ended up driving someone to kill themselves…… yeah why should anyone have a problem with that?
They should be sacked, and if they had an ounce of decency they’d have already resigned.
Sadly the number of comments about the fools behind the mic being Australian miss the point. People in the media forget that using the power of the ‘big voice’ comes with responsibility to educate, inform and entertain.
Breaching or attempting to breach privacy on anybody’s medical condition does not fall within their remit.
The ancient rule of unforseen consequences still applies and the corporate lawyers just didn’t think it through. Shame on the DJ’s but castigation for those that approved the repeats!
“I’m so over being told what to do and when to do it by the Monarchy ” What a laugh! Since WHEN has the Monarchy ever told YOU to do anything?? Ye gods what an overblown perception of your own self importance. I doubt “her Maj ” has your number on speed dial. By the way. Most Brits? Most Brits care more about whupping the Auusies at Cricket than whether you are finally FINALLY going to have the guts to elect your own Monarch like the Yanks do. Go knock that imperialst chip off your shoulder, I second James you really should move on.. no please move on… really. Give us a laugh….elect Ricky Ponting as President!
As for Mr Maciver, even if he is a Jacobite, the rebellion was over years ago, he shouldn’t mix up freedom of the press and media with a pop at the way the British run their democracy. – Last time I checked my passport it said “Citizen” and we no more “prop up” the Monarchy with pot loads of money, than do the Governments of just about every other country on the planet prop up their heads of state, and even if we did – it’s our money we’ll determine how we waste it not some itinerant ex-pat who whines from miles away.
I agree, no malice intended, some woman sadly does lie dead on a hospital slab, to cheapen the defence of free speech with a republican agenda is , tasteless.
It seems there are two types of people in the world: those who make a contribution and get the work done, and those who stand on the sidelines taking the p * ss. I’ve never really had much time for the latter. I don’t really want to see these DJs hung, drawn and quartered but I really would be a lot happier if attention-seeking “funny” people like this bought an island and all went and lived on it.
I don’t think the tragic death of a nurse with 2 young children can adequately be described as a ‘fuss’. This tragedy will be a life time punishment for 2 children who now live a life without a mother’s love and care and I think they will find very little constellation in knowing that their mothers torment and tragic death was in the name of comedy.
I don’t think the tragic death of a nurse with 2 young children can adequately be described as a ‘fuss’. This tragedy will be a life time punishment for 2 children who now live a life without a mother’s love and care and I think they will find very little consolation in knowing that their mothers torment and tragic death was in the name of comedy.
I think Mr Maciver is right. It was meant as a harmless bit of fun which in all probability was expected to be banter with an officious staff member telling them they would get no information at all and to go away.
The silly accents the radio pair put on were not actually meant to deceive. They were over the top – pure comedy. What hapened was awful but who knows what other issues lay behind the lady’s death. The DJ’s dont deserve such blame.
Well there was an editorial decision to play the pre-recorded prank which was gloated about on the station’s website until shortly a few hours after the news of her death broke. The DJ’s were following the style of the station and the production team is probably the people who have the greatest responsibility here.
The issue here is that the nurse did not seek the limelight and yet she was thrown into a global media spotlight in a humiliating way. The fact that she wasn’t able to cope with that in the same way as people who court fame do is entirely predictable.
The station clearly had no regard for the mental or professional effect that broadcasting the call had and really to call it a Royal prank is wrong it was a hospital prank.
As for them not being culpable as they didn’t know the nurse was obviously not that strong mentally, well that BS. If you push a person over and they get up it probably won’t lead to anything serious but if that person had an underlying health condition which means they are seriously injured then you are guilty of causing that injury even if that wasn’t original intent.
“Should they have done the prank in the first place? Probably not.” There you go, now shut up.
‘Australia backlash. Bosses will come under pressure to crack the whip as they too quiver at threats of an advertising drought brought about by humourless droids. They may comply too readily.’
And in a few months, the fuss over their expulsion will die down, the ‘backlash’ will die down and some upcoming DJ will take their place and do the same things all over again until another calamity and so on and so forth. Such is the cycle of life. Your blog here is about as relevant in the scheme of things as what the commentators you so deride say. Why did they bother; why did you? Hardly a Leveson-style call for state regulation of Australian radio or anything. No one is near a Rubicon here.
Nobody could foresee the suicide, just as nobody could foresee that a drunk driver would kill a pedestrian. This does not mean there is not a link.
Normally I have great disdain for media witch-hunts, but in this case I feel myself baying for their blood. I was shocked and embarrassed for the poor nurse when I heard the call, and it is really no wonder it came to this. She was publicly ridiculed in front of millions for the sake of entertainment. The station even had lawyers review the prank before broadcasting it to make sure it was legal. Perhaps they should also have had some thinking, feeling human beings review the call to see if it was utterly distasteful and potentially dangerous.
It is time for the media to start behaving responsibly. It is easy enough to say we need a free press, but will you still think that way when your daughter is ridiculed into committing suicide, driven into a tunnel wall by paparazzi, or when you or your loved one is branded a paedophile based on a unsubstantiated rumour? The press and the media are out of control, and they have been for some decades. Time to make them accountable – they should be giving us news, facts, and carefully considered opinion, not lies and rumours. There should also be an intelligence mandate for broadcasters to ensure that they are not complete idiots, since they are in a position to do a fair amount of damage.
“To properly judge Mel Greig and Michael Christian, as the mob fail to do, you should just ask if the pair set out out to cause harm.”
So it follows that anyone who disagrees with you is an ignorant member of this “mob”. That’s not a powerful argument. The position of the two DJs strikes me as being similar to that of a dangerous driver. No, they did not intend serious harm, but they risked it by their behaviour. So they are culpable.
So did you hear the Jimmy Saville rumours during your BBC DJ days? You must have done musn’t you? Well informed chap like you. Did you attempt to expose them after you became a journalist? Thought not, you ball-less twat.
The Djs were a little bit silly. Perhaps the nurse would have done this even if the broadcast had not garnered any significant attention, due to intense guilt & embarrassment.
But I think there are two things which were far more significant than the prank itself, which are likely to have been the key causes. Firstly, the ludicrous indignation of the (‘bizarrely sycophantic’) media, along the lines of: “How dare this stupid little nurse undermine the confidentiality of our wonderful, beautiful princess?!” Secondly, of course related to this, the hospital response. It will have been harsh on the nurses involved. Disproportionately so, due to the ‘bizarrely sycophantic’ attitude in this country towards an archaic, anachronistic and wholly pointless institution which should have been abolished centuries ago.
Bizarre sycophancy is the central issue here.
This person has only posted this article in order to troll all those genuinely outraged by the fact that someone has been pushed to suicide by the callous actions of two purile DJs. He has done this to drive trafffic to his nobody site. The best thing you can do is leave this blog right now, without clicking any of the ads and never come back.
I clicked on this link, I read the article and for a while I found it funny, then I got angry so I’m as fucking stupid as the rest of you. I’m sorry.
As far as jokes go I think two people putting on accents and pretending to be british to a nurse isn’t anything to get angry about. Its dumb but it was the media that told everyone where she was staying, it was the media that spread told everyone about it and it was both the media and yourselves that embaressed that poor women. It was then social media (as in you) that…you have to be really upset to do this and if people are supportive then it rarely gets to that. However having everyone talk shit about you and my guess it’s alot easier.
If people didn’t find it funny then it would never be shown on air, its all about ratings. Xfactor auditions, 24/7 reality shows. These shows exsist to catch people when there guard is down. They are trashy but you love’em so they show’em. You take the piss, make up lies and bad mouth people you have never met.
Guilt free you people lap it up! Not once do I hear a comment saying sorry. Not once do you people blame yourselves. You can get away with murder as long as everyone else around you is ok it with it. There is no morality. No wonder muslims hate us so much.
I’m not religious but for anyone that is; I would say you are f**ked.
You seem to forget that someone has died because of this so called ‘entertainment’. If this were a BBC station there would be a producer making sure that guidelines were followed and that this was properly scrutinised. The legal team should also be looked at for deciding to allow it to air.
The radio station have commented that no one could reasonably have expected the outcome of this prank call. The hospital state that Jacintha was not being disciplined. What about her colleague who gave out the information about the Duchess? Is she being disciplined for breaching confidentiality? And who wouldn’t tell the ‘Queen’ what she wanted to know?Was Jacintha distraught about being duped and for transferring the call to a friend/colleague who could be in trouble, losing her job and potentially her career?
No, the radio station may not have forseen these tragic consequences, but they must have realised that a staff member would potentially be in trouble for giving out confidential information. Did they care about that? I would suggest they didn’t since they went ahead with their prank…
You’ve had your laugh.
The price of which has been paid by your victim and will be paid for the rest of the lives of her children.
Failing to consider the harm one’s action might cause is no defence when harm is the result. It’s called personal responsibility, and applies to whomever the instigator might be. To whinge and whine about a “bit of fun” going awry is to miss the point – personal responsibility should be the watchword but rarely is in the world of bottom feeding entertainment. After all, you people gave us Murdoch – what an advertisment for grown-up behaviour from a nation that seems to revel in its perception as an alcohol addled teenager out on the town. So far the considered response to this tragedy seems in keeping with that of a teenager caught misbehaving – sob, sob, it’s not my fault. Those in charge have revealed their true colurs through their own words: “our lawyers said it was OK”; “we haven’t broken any laws”; “the DJ’s are getting counselling” (poor little darlings – are they upset?). These eejits should prostrate themselves and beg forgiveness – what we get are cliched Ozzy whinging about colonial masters, and childish whining about monarchy. You guys should try and grow up – you’re an embarrassment.
This was a sensless act on a vulnerable woman. I fail to see where the joke is in ‘blagging’ your way into someones medical records. It is no different than the hacking cases that have seen so many so called media personalities face the wrath of the law.
In my books this prank was illegal. They should face criminal prosecutions. Is it illegal to pretend to be a police officer or a doctor!
What passes for Australian comedy now? These feckless witless morons who have taken a child’s mother away should be barred from the airwaves at the very least.
It’s sad that she killed herself but she was not the nurse who gave out the details, she just put the call through to the other nurse. It’s clear that she must have been having other issues that she was dealing with to take her own life.
What sort of assumption is that bob mck? That’s terrible. Shame on you.
Wow some nutters on the loose today! It never ceases to amaze me how many self-righteous, know it all pompous wa**ers there are out there. It’s worse than primary school playground antics. So many of you bang on about being open minded towards others comments/thoughts, but hell mend you if somebody thinks differently, then you have a go at them for thinking differently the very thing you get pissed off with in the first place! Bloody hypocrites.
Yes there’s no denying it was a terrible tragedy but let’s get real, this sort of thing happens everyday, do any of you go out and help? Nah just stay on your fat a**e and do what you do best which is sweet fook all.
“It was proper though that the two DJs were sent home until the fuss dies down. That will take a few weeks”
And what about the widower and the two orphaned children? Do you think that they’ll be OK after “the fuss dies down”? How long do you think it will take them to get over the loss of their mother?
Shame on me?? What are you talking about Bomo Bob? If you listen to the recording she is on the phone all of 10 seconds before she transfers the call to the other Nurse. It is the other nurse who falls for the ludicrous accents and reveals the details to the DJ.
I can’t understand why this women would take her own life based on her minor role in the prank with out there being other factors.
Find myself unable to agree with the assertion that they did not do it for profit.Drawing wages at the end of the week is profit,and they do this regulary at other peoples expense, and to promote themselves and their careers.l do not join in the mob baying for their heads,they will have to join the husband and children left behind in trying to cope with this for the rest of their lives,and more so if their actions triggered her response
Wow Maciver! If that puerile, embarrassing, giggly couple’s prank was what you call ” breathtaking, awe-inspiring impromptu comedy on radio”. your standards are lower than I’d ever have believed possible in that ‘faraway land called Australia’.
Iain what you singularly fail to tell your readers is that the Radio Station having loudly apologised for the purile double act and their ‘humour’ itself continued to resentlessly air the recording to the point that it was still being given air time hours after the poor lady had taken her own life. That perhaps would explain to you, now defending their actions, the huge amount of loathing given to the two ‘DJs’ in question.
Equally to blame is the mass hysteria created by ALL the media – 1st item on BBC News, Headlines in the most edpapers, actions which in there self must have additionally affected the poor womans state of mind.
You are a member of the media and with all respect to your excellent and open blog this is one subject you should have kept well clear of, rather than taken the opposite view and defended such callous behaviour.
I tend to agree with you Iain … but I somehow have the feeling it’s a minority view, going by the above comments. Passing on a “hoax” t/c in the middle of the night, at work, is hardly a reason for the resultant, tragic, action which followed. I think there is much more info regarding this nurse, of which we have little or no knowledge, which may be revealed at a later date.
Everyone needs to leave the radio presenters alone, they had no idea that the prank would have lead to such a circumstance and whose to say it was them that cause her dead. Imagine how the radio presenters are feeling they obviously already feel remorse without people saying they’ve got blood on there hand, next thing you know all the slander towards them is going to lead them to kill themeselves! give them a break!
The reality is this is the real world, “humour” at someone elses expense has sometimes got consequences. This situation is tragic indeed for all concerned, but there is responsibility however un-intentioned for what has happened…….it looks as if laws may have been broken, so there may be further actions.
“you should just ask if the pair set out out to cause harm.” – well actually the answer is definitely YES…. This radio station (not just the presenters) set out to get confidential medical information from an unsuspecting nurse. There actions could well have led to her dismissal as this is a sackable offence within the NHS. They had no idea what effect this would have on their so-called victim, they had no idea how vulnerable she was. Making a joke of anyone in hospital is just not funny. You have gone down in my estimation on this one I am afraid Iain.
What a load of utter drivel in many of the above comments.
Firstly, this nurse that died (they don’t even know yet if it was suicide) took the initial call and transferred it to another nurse. It was the other nurse that fell for the hoax and gave out information.
Secondly, any nurse worth her salt would not give out information on people like that Middleton woman without being sure of who was calling. Try even getting information on a patient in the Stornoway hospital; that can be difficult enough as the nurses there appear to know what they are doing.
Thirdly, if that nurse did commit suicide, and that has yat to be proved, it is difficult to believe it was merely because she transferred the call to another nurse to answer. Anyone who does commit suicide usually has some long term problems before they actually get around to killing themselves.
Finally, the Australians have a long tradition of playing pranks on those who consider themselves our “betters”. The well known Chasers programme can attest to that. This incident was just such a prank, and the DJs concerned did not think it possible that,with their very odd accents, to say the least, they would be taken seriously.
So, all you sycophants and forelock tuggers out there, give it a rest and stop jumping on the bandwagon calling for the DJs to be lynched or similar. Just grow up and stop being so deadly serious about a prank that may have had unforseen or unintended consequences; and stop grovelling about anything that involves these royal parasites.
The nurse was already broken. Any one with a modicum of intelligence understands this….
Who knows yet what the real story is? I put myself in the first nurse’s shoes and did i commit suicide? No!
I transferred the call to the nurse with the real responsibility….and defended myself against the tyranny of ignorance.
Now for the second nurse – She is ok – right? The one who did all the talking is probably basking in the attention.
So this really is a witch hunt and should be the catalyst for Australia to cut the umbilical chord once and for all. It is another distraction from the real issue. This world has too many persons living in extreme luxury because their ancestors were better at bloody murderous acquisition.
We all know that the ‘royals’ are descendants of some of the greatest most successful mass murderers and plunderers in history. Everything they ‘own’ is steeped in blood. This is what they stand for and no amount of privilege can cover up this truth.
Republic of Australia…here we come.
PS My life belongs to my children…therefore i do not have to right to take it away from them. This is the responsibility we have when we give birth – we have to live and be there for them and taking one’s life because one has transferred a call to some precious royal’s nurse is just not good enough….oh there is so much more to this than the ignorant ruckus currently circulating.
At last – the voice of common sense!! (the original article, not some of the dozy comments posted!)
Since when has a prank been a crime? Whilst the death of the nurse is tragic and very very sad, these DJs can, in no way, be held responsible for it. She was responsible for her own life, as are we all.
Good grief, the PC brigade will be banning April Fools Day next!!
Sound to me like it’s hospital security that deserves a roasting, not the radio station!
ok some1 died by their own hands i might add yes very sad for her family but GUESS WHAT millions of people have died or will die in shocking and horrid ways/conditions today and yesterday and again tomorrow but no 1 gives a F___ abt any of them stop being hypocrites if you really cared about people you would try and do more for people around the world being murdered/raped/tortoured and stop blaming 2 dj’s who’s jobs were/are to entertain others on air must we all become depressed creatures with no sense of humour cause really between this political correctness crap and boring humourless people we are becomeing even more f_____ up
I live in Canada. I used to enjoy the royal visits. But I think that these journalists are hilarious and brilliant and obviously did not do anything with malicious intent. Enough already! They didn’t force the nurse to commit suicide. When someone kills his/herself their life is over and their loved ones are left behind to clean up the act. As embarrassed as she would have been, she should have “moved on”. Comparing a seemingly innocent prank to drunk driving is like comparing a handshake to rape. Give me a break. If the royals gave up their royal money and did more to help people in need, then we’d have reason to worship them. Enough already with this royal fantasy and pretense that they are just like “everyone else”. I think it would have been hilarious if it came out that Kate was really a “regular” girl with chlamydia or something of the sort. I don’t blame her for the prank, either, but I’m sick of this sort of thing making real news. If those DJ’s got through, they should be given a raise, not fired. They obviously have talent! And furthermore, let’s not forget that they are still “monarchy” and just celebrities in one form or another. I feel for the djs.
um, I heard this am that the person who departed this earth (allegedly) as a result of a phone call from two dj’s in OZland, was employed as a receptionist and all she did for all 4 seconds of the incident was to put the dl’s call thru to the person she assumed they needed to talk to.
Several long bows being drawn here, so time for ‘cool heads’ and ‘clear thinking’ instead of all the muck raking that’s gone on here.
The truth will eventually (I hope) be revealed.
I feel sorry for her family, BUT there’s another side to this story that hasn’t been told.
oicucraft2 – not sure u are right there. she was not a receptionist but a nurse who happened to take the call because it was 5 : 30 am and there was no one on switchboard. she then put call through to duchess’ ward .
Jock, I was only going on what was aired on yesterday mornings’ news.