# Questions about the Royal Prank call. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 13, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-royal-prank-call/643945 "2012-12-13T19:01:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-royal-prank-call/643945/41 "2012-12-15T16:15:50Z")
> [@al27052](#): > > If you would like, I’d also be happy to explain the difference between royal status and merely rich/famous status as well. That’s what I asked about - I never said anything about an average person- so please go ahead already. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-royal-prank-call/643945/42 "2012-12-15T23:20:25Z")
> [@Sleeping\_Synapse](#): > > People should be focusing not on the faeces being smeared by the tabloids, but on what, if any, pressures were placed on the woman subsequent to the gag; by the hospital, the media, of import, **her family** (husband) _et al_. > > The woman was irrefutably unhinged to begin with; to fly the face of her most primal human instinct - to live - second only to her maternal instinct to nurture her progeny into adulthood. Any questions that should be asked should be of: > > - **The woman’s family** - particularly her spouse - and what possible psychological pressure may have been placed on her. Being sub-continental Indians, they’re a culture that’s quite heavy on the familial pride and humiliation thang. Her family live in a different city and she stayed in a nurse’s home during the week. She actually **didn’t tell them _anything_** about what had happened. I guess she felt it was her problem to deal with on her own. ---
**Author:** ![al27052](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@al27052](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/al27052)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-royal-prank-call/643945/43 "2012-12-16T04:45:58Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That’s what I asked about - I never said anything about an average person- so please go ahead already. Your tone is getting a bit questionable. Is there a reason for that? My general hypothesis is that there is more social pressure to respect the royal family than there is to respect anyone in the US. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-royal-prank-call/643945/44 "2012-12-16T06:59:44Z")
> [@al27052](#): > > Your tone is getting a bit questionable. Is there a reason for that? > > My general hypothesis is that there is more social pressure to respect the royal family than there is to respect anyone in the US. Do you actually know any British people? Many, perhaps most, of us frequently say disrespectful things, or laugh at disrespectful jokes, about the royal family. Tune in to some of the most popular comedy shows broadcast by the BBC most weeks, and you will frequently hear comedians being thoroughly rude about various members of the royal family, and getting big laughs from it. No-one kills themselves over this. Maybe thirty years ago, when such jokes were somewhat less frequently broadcast, the BBC would have got a few letters of complaint about it from certain particularly uptight citizens, but I doubt that even that happens now. There is no way that this poor young woman’s suicide was caused solely by shame at having inadvertently done something displeasing to the royal family. Almost certainly, she was already in a very fragile state of mental health, and was pushed over the brink by the embarrassment of being (however blamelessly) put in the public eye by this artificial media “scandal”, very likely coupled with insensitive and unfair treatment from her superiors in teh hospital (which they are now, doubtless, covering up). ---
**Author:** ![al27052](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@al27052](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/al27052)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-royal-prank-call/643945/45 "2012-12-16T07:11:20Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Do you actually know any British people? Many, perhaps most, of us frequently say disrespectful things, or laugh at disrespectful jokes, about the royal family. Tune in to some of the most popular comedy shows broadcast by the BBC most weeks, and you will frequently hear comedians being thoroughly rude about various members of the royal family, and getting big laughs from it. No-one kills themselves over this. Maybe thirty years ago, when such jokes were somewhat less frequently broadcast, the BBC would have got a few letters of complaint about it from certain particularly uptight citizens, but I doubt that even that happens now. > > There is no way that this poor young woman’s suicide was caused solely by shame at having inadvertently done something displeasing to the royal family. Almost certainly, she was already in a very fragile state of mental health, and was pushed over the brink by the embarrassment of being (however blamelessly) put in the public eye by this artificial media “scandal”, very likely coupled with insensitive and unfair treatment from her superiors in teh hospital (which they are now, doubtless, covering up). I never said that the prank was the whole reason for her suicide. I don’t think such a thing. It’s not a reasonable assumption. However, I still think there’s probably a measurable difference in the average deference given to a royal in the UK, versus that given to _any_ US citizen. I don’t even see how that’s really even in question. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-royal-prank-call/643945/46 "2012-12-16T15:09:46Z")
> [@al27052](#): > > I never said that the prank was the whole reason for her suicide. I don’t think such a thing. It’s not a reasonable assumption. > > However, I still think there’s probably a measurable difference in the average deference given to a royal in the UK, versus that given to _any_ US citizen. > > I don’t even see how that’s really even in question. It’s in question because you’re completely wrong. The royals are given more attention, but not more deference. Hell, newspapers have published photos of William and Harry’s penises. The queen gets treated more respectfully, but most countries aren’t fond of taking the piss out of octogenarians who never do anything wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-royal-prank-call/643945/47 "2012-12-16T15:40:01Z")
> [@al27052](#): > > However, I still think there’s probably a measurable difference in the average deference given to a royal in the UK, versus that given to _any_ US citizen. There is probably something to it but ultimately it’s the public awareness of the situation that makes it emotionally distressing. If it had been Jonathan Doeherty, taxi driver, it would still be a mistake made in front of God and everybody and as such it would be a perceived humiliation to someone who has other emotional problems. I would concede a higher level of humiliation given to a screw-up involving the Queen. But really, she was living alone with her thoughts because she lived near the hospital due to travel distance. She didn’t use the normal outlets in times of distress (friends/family) and it caught up to her. This might be a learning moment for everybody who knows of the story. I’ve lived long enough to know there are a fair number of special snowflakes running amok in the world. They fall apart at the slightest bit of emotional fluff that comes their way. Sometimes a simple emotional pat on the back can make a difference in their lives. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeping\_Synapse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Sleeping\_Synapse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeping_Synapse)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-royal-prank-call/643945/48 "2012-12-23T08:03:21Z")
She was an unhinged loon. _/faux sympathy_ \>[http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2012/12/23/15/28/radio-hoax-nurse-tried-to-commit-suicide-before](http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2012/12/23/15/28/radio-hoax-nurse-tried-to-commit-suicide-before) ---
**Author:** ![what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a5b964/32.png) [@what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/what_do_I_type_here)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-royal-prank-call/643945/49 "2012-12-23T16:03:36Z")
> [@blueslipper](#): > > She is reportedly ‘devoutly Catholic’. > > There seems to be a thing on the SDMB these days that if you ask a neutral question, all sorts of bad tidings on you for just asking. > I am trying to ask a neutral question. It may have bearing , it may not. Just because I am asking, does not mean I am implying anything. It isn’t common knowledge that the woman was catholic. You brought it up spontaneously and it sounded very weird. So don’t preach to us about political correctness; we have no idea what you’re talking about. ---
**Author:** ![blueslipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@blueslipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blueslipper)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-royal-prank-call/643945/50 "2012-12-23T20:28:42Z")
> [@what\_do\_I\_type\_here](#): > > It isn’t common knowledge that the woman was catholic. You brought it up spontaneously and it sounded very weird. So don’t preach to us about political correctness; we have no idea what you’re talking about. I brought it up because it was not commonly reported. I am not and was not preaching about political correctness. I apologise if it seemed like I was. I was just pointing out something. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-royal-prank-call/643945.md?page=2)