Former 2Day FM presenter Mel Greig has revealed the online abuse she still endures more than a decade after the royal prank call scandal, admitting there has been a recent resurgence in hateful comments.
In a recent Instagram Story, Mel opened up about the long-lasting impact of the infamous royal hospital scandal that changed her life forever, where a prank gone wrong saw her labelled a “murderer”.
What was the ‘royal scandal’ involving Mel Greig?
For many Australians, the scandal may feel like a distant memory, but for Mel the emotional fallout is ongoing nearly 14 years later.
Back in December 2012, Mel and her 2Day FM co-host Michael Christian, made international headlines after impersonating members of the British royal family in a prank call to London’s King Edward VII Hospital, where Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, was being treated for severe morning sickness. Kate was pregnant with Prince George at the time.
During the call, hospital nurse Jacintha Saldanha transferred the presenters through to a ward nurse, believing she was speaking with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles. The conversation that followed with the second nurse was broadcast by the station, publicly revealing medical details about Kate’s condition.
Days later, Jacintha tragically died by suicide, sparking global outrage and intense scrutiny of the Australian broadcasters involved.
Mel has previously said she was in “lockdown for months” following the controversy.
“There were bullets with our name on it sent to police stations,” Mel told BBC television in 2014. “The trolling and the death threats were disgusting.”
Mel voluntarily flew from Australia to the UK in 2014 to attend the inquest into Jacintha’s death, apologising directly to the nurse’s family.
“I am so deeply sorry for your loss. I have wanted to say this to you for so long,” she said at the time. “This tragedy is always going to stay with me.”
Mel Greig on the ongoing abuse she’s received: “Back to hundreds daily”
According to Mel, the backlash was relentless in the immediate aftermath of the scandal. “2012 to 2013 it was thousands a day,” she shared, of the abusive messages she received. “2013 to 2015 it slowed down to just being called a murderer 100 times a day.”
The former radio presenter then explained that the abuse eventually eased between 2015 and 2022, before spiking again in recent years thanks to a “new generation” discovering the story online.
“2023 to 2025 a new generation came through and it was back to hundreds daily,” she wrote.
Today, Mel says she still receives abusive messages, citing “about one to three a week.”
