Kate Middleton Prank Call Death: 2Day FM Drops Mel Greig and Michael Christian

Australian radio station 2Day FM has confirmed that the two hosts who played a prank phone call on the hospital where Kate Middleton was being treated for morning sickness will not return to the show until further notice, following the death of Jacintha Saldanha.

The station also offered its "deepest sympathies" to the family of the nurse after she was found dead at an address near the King Edward VII's Hospital where she worked.

Saldanha took the call from 2Day FM DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian who were pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles. The phone conversation was broadcast on the show and on the station's website.

Saldanha, a married mother of two, had answered the phone as there was no receptionist on duty. Hospital management said they had not suspended or disciplined her for unwittingly giving out medical information about the Duchess of Cambridge to the callers.

2Day FM said: "We extend our deepest sympathies to her family and all that have been affected by this situation around the world.

"Chief executive officer Rhys Holleran has spoken with the presenters: they are both deeply shocked and at this time we have agreed that they do not comment about the circumstances.

"SCA [Southern Cross Austereo, the station's owner] and the hosts have decided that they will not return to their radio show until further notice out of respect for what can only be described as a tragedy."

Following news of Saldanha's death, Greig and Christian both deleted their Twitter accounts. 2Day FM has been heavily cricised for the stunt on its official Facebook page.

Saldanha's family said: "We as a family are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved Jacintha."

Kate Middleton Prank Call: Full Transcript of Australian Radio Hoax