Jacintha Saldanha inquest: Australian radio station donates $500,000 to family of nurse who killed herself after royal prank call

Southern Cross Austereo expressed its 'deepest sympathy' to Mrs Saldanha’s relatives

Benedict Barboza, second from left, the husband of Jacintha Saldanha, their children Lisha and Junal, right, and Keith Vaz MP, centre, arrive for the inquest (AFP/Getty)

An Australian radio station has donated A$500,000 (£278,000) to the family of a nurse in the UK who killed herself after putting through their prank phone call to the hospital room of the Duchess of Cambridge during her first pregnancy.

The 46-year-old nurse from Bristol, Jacintha Saldanha, took the call and was found dead just days afterwards. The hoax call was made by the radio station in December 2012 during the Duchess of Cambridge’s first pregnancy, when presenters Mel Greig and michael Christian pretended to be the Queen and Prince Charles. The fact that the call was put through meant that details of her treatment for morning sickness were revealed to the public.

The Southern Cross Austereo station said that although no amount of money could relieve the sense of loss suffered by her family, it was donating the money to a trust fund to help them in the future. It expressed its “deepest sympathy” to Mrs Saldanha’s relatives, the BBC reported.

On Friday the coroner Fiona Wilcox concluded that Mrs Saldanha had taken her own life. One of the Southern Cross Austereo presenters involved in the prank call made a tearful apology at the inquest into Mrs Saldanha’s death. Mel Grieg said in a statement: “This tragedy is always going to stay with me as a constant reminder.”