The hospital treating Prince William’s pregnant wife Catherine for severe morning sickness admitted yesterday it fell victim to a hoax call from an Australian radio station.

Presenters from Sydney’s 2Day FM station, posing as Queen Elizabeth II and William’s father Prince Charles, managed to get through to a nurse who gave an update on Kate’s status, saying she had not experienced any recent “retching”.

The private King Edward VII’s Hospital in London, where 30-year-old Kate was admitted on Monday, confirmed that a nurse discussed Kate’s condition and said it “deeply regrets” the incident, which happened in the early hours of Tuesday.

The hoax is deeply embarrassing for the hospital, which has also treated the Queen, her husband Prince Philip and Charles’ wife Camilla over the years.

“This was a foolish prank call that we all deplore,” said the hospital’s chief executive John Lofthouse, adding, “We take patient confidentiality extremely seriously and we are now reviewing our tele-phone protocols.”

2Day FM presenter Mel Greig, impersonating the 86-year-old monarch, dialled the hospital and asked the operator: “Could I please speak to Kate, please, my grand-daughter.”

The operator replied: “Oh yes, just hold on, Ma’am.”

The call was put on hold and Greig’s co-presenter Michael Christian asked incredulously: “Are they putting us through?”

Greig was put through to a ward where a nurse told her that Kate was “sleeping at the moment and she has had an unevent-ful night”.

The nurse added: “She’s been given some fluids to rehydrate her because she was quite dehydrated when she came in. But she’s stable at the moment.”

Greig replied, “Oh well, I’ll just feed my little corgis, then,” while two of her colleagues made barking noises in an impression of the Queen’s corgi dogs.”