Nurse in Royal Prank Call Was Found Hanged, British Inquest is Told

Nurse in Royal Prank Call Was Found Hanged, Officials Say

LONDON - A nurse who apparently committed suicide after being tricked by a prank call from an Australian radio station involving the pregnant Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, was found hanging by a scarf and had left several notes, a preliminary inquest hearing was told on Thursday.

The details were the first to emerge of how the nurse, Jacintha Saldanha, 46, had died.

The episode transfixed many in Britain and Australia, seeming to combine a fascination with the royal family, particularly the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, with horror at the outcome of what two Australian disc jockeys pretending to be Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles have said began as a harmless stunt.

The radio hosts convinced Ms. Saldanha that they were members of the royal family, and persuaded her to pass on their call to another nurse whom they duped into disclosing medical information about the duchess, who was being treated for acute morning sickness at the King Edward VII hospital.

The call was broadcast on Australian radio and went around the world.

Police officials initially declined to offer details of what had happened to Ms. Saldanha, who was married and had two children, beyond saying that an ambulance crew had found her body.

Detective Chief Inspector James Harman told the preliminary inquest hearing at Westminster Coroner's Court in central London on Thursday that Ms. Saldanha “was found by a colleague and a member of security staff. Sadly, she was found hanging.”

There also “injuries to her wrist,” and three notes were found - two in her room and the third among her possessions. Details of the notes were not disclosed.

“At this time there are no suspicious circumstances,” Mr. Harman said, meaning the police did not suspect the involvement of other people. Ms. Saldanha had been found hanging by a scarf from a wardrobe in her room in the nurses' quarters at the hospital, the coroner, Fiona Wilcox, was told.

The hearing lasted a matter of minutes and will resume next March 26, Ms. Wilcox said.

Between now and then, Mr. Harman said, he expected officers from Scotland Yard to be in touch with police detectives in Australia to interview witnesses so as to “put the best evidence before you” when the inquest resumes.

British inquests are supposed to determine the cause of death but do not apportion blame.

The family of Ms. Saldanha, who was born in India, did not attend Thursday's hearing.

The events leading up to the nurse's death are also unclear. The hospital where she worked - an upscale private facility favored by the British royal family - said it had not disciplined her after the hoax but rather had been “supporting her during this difficult time.”

The royal family also indicated that it had not raised a fuss about the prank by the D.J.'s, Mel Greig and Michael Christian, whose impersonations of the duchess's in-laws seemed unconvincing to many listeners. The queen is the grandmother of Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge; Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, is his father.

Australian regulators are investigating whether the 2DayFM station breached the terms of its license to broadcast or the code of practice adopted by Australian broadcasters.