Duchess of Cambridge pregnant: hospital security blunder as Kate's nurse falls for hoax call

Two presenters from 2Day FM called the King Edward VII Hospital in London pretending to be the Queen and the Prince of Wales, and were put straight through to the Duchess's ward in the early hours of Tuesday.

Neither the receptionist who put the call through nor the nurse treating the Duchess suspected anything was amiss, despite the distinctly amateur impersonations of the Queen and Prince's voices. One of the presenters even barked, pretending to be a corgi, while the "Queen" wrongly referred to the Duchess as "my granddaughter".

The nurse looking after the Duchess gave confidential details of her treatment and of her condition, and even talked about what time it would be convenient for the "Queen" to visit.

"This call was transferred through to a ward and a short conversation was held with one of the nursing staff," the spokesman said. "King Edward VII's Hospital deeply regrets this incident."

The hospital's chief executive, John Lofthouse, said: "This was a foolish prank call that we all deplore.

She (the QUEEN) began by saying: "Kate my darling, are you there?"

The nurse replied: "Good morning ma'am, this is a nurse speaking. How may I help you?"

The "Queen" said: "Hello, I'm just after my granddaughter Kate, I wanted to see how her little tummy bug is going."

After the nurse gave her some details, she said: "OK, I'll just feed my little corgis then," followed by barking from co-presenter Michael Christian.

She asked when a good time would be to visit, and the nurse replied: "I would suggest that any time after nine o'clock would be suitable, because the doctor will be in in the morning, and will just be getting her freshened up in the morning. I would think any time after nine."

Michael Christian, who pretended to be the Prince of Wales, said he was "completely shocked" to be put through to the ward, adding: "I thought we'd get hung up on!"

He asked the nurse: "Is Wills still there, or has he gone home. I haven't spoken to him yet."

The "Queen" interjected: "When are you going to walk those bloody corgis?" The Charles impersonater replied: "Mumsy, I'll go and take the dogs outside."