Australia’s media authority has confirmed it has received complaints for a Today Network phone call that has been branded the biggest royal prank ever and fueled global headlines.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said: “Under the co-regulatory model, code complaints should first go to the licensee. If a complainant is dissatisfied with the response, then a complaint can be made to the ACMA.”
Summer Hot30’s Mel Greig and Michael Christian adopted fake accents and pretended to be the Queen and Prince Charles to successfully trick a nurse into sharing details about the Duchess of Cambridge’s health.
The nurse who fell for the trick works at the King Edward VII Hospital in London where the Duchess has been admitted for treatment for morning sickness.
The ACMA made no further comment on the prank which Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) has apologized for.
SCA said in a statement: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the enquiry to Kate’s hospital, the radio segment was done with light-hearted intentions, we wish Kate and her family all the best and we're glad to hear she's doing well.”
Greig and Christian added: “We were very surprised that our call was put through, we thought we'd be hung up on as soon as they heard our terrible accents. We’re very sorry if we’ve caused any issues and we’re glad to hear that Kate is doing well.”
The hospital has blasted the trick as “foolish and deplorable” with questions as to whether the call breached any of the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) radio broadcasting codes.
