A few days earlier, she had taken a call from two Australian radio DJs posing as Queen Elizabeth II and William's father Prince Charles, which led to details of Catherine's severe morning sickness being made public. After the service at London's Westminster Cathedral on Saturday, Saldanha's family paid tribute to a loving wife and mother whose death following what the hospital described as a "cruel trick" had left them bereft.
"We will miss your laughter, the loving memories and the good times we had together. The house is an empty dwelling without your presence," her 14-year-old daughter Lisha said, reading out a statement. "We are shattered, and there's an unfillable void in our lives. "We love you Mum, sleep in peace and please watch over us until we meet again in heaven. We will always love you and keep you close to our hearts".
Saldanha's husband Benedict Barboza, 49, held hands with his two children as they arrived for the mass at the cathedral, the main Catholic church in England. Afterwards, he struggled to hold back the tears as he remembered his wife's "beautiful smile and sparkling personality" and her support during the 19 years they were together. "You were the light in my darkness, you always showed me the way forward. From the day we met, you always stood by me in times of hardship and happiness. I feel part of me has been ripped out," he said.
He added: "Your loss is a very painful one and nobody can take that place in my life ever again. I love you and miss you forever." Saldanha's 16-year-old son Junal described his mother as kind-hearted and generous, "the core of the family who kept us together", who encouraged her children to work hard at school, and who taught them right from wrong.
"You worked tirelessly to give us everything that we have today," he said. On Friday, the family had attended a candlelit vigil in Bristol, the city where they live in south-west England, while the hospital where Saldanha worked also held a memorial in her honour.
A relative of the family said the funeral would take place in the nurse's home town of Shirva in south-west India, at Our Lady of Health church, on Monday. An inquest this week heard that a colleague and a member of the security staff had found Saldanha hanging in her room.
She had left three notes, one of which reportedly criticised the hospital. Hospital chief executive John Lofthouse said Friday that senior management had reassured Saldanha that she was not to blame for transferring the radio station's hoax call to another nurse, who divulged details about Kate's condition.
"Jacintha believed that the call was genuine, and she felt it appropriate to put the call through. We stand by her judgement," Lofthouse wrote in a letter to lawmaker Keith Vaz, who has been supporting the nurse's family. "Following the hoax call, Jacintha was reassured on a number of occasions by senior management that no blame was attached to her actions and that there were no disciplinary issues involved, because she had been the victim of a cruel trick."
Australian police said Thursday that death threats have been made against Michael Christian and Mel Greig, the DJs from Sydney's 2Day FM radio station who made the hoax call. The presenters, who have been undergoing counselling, remain off air and have not been seen in public since making tearful apologies in a television interview on Monday. 2Day FM's parent company Southern Cross Austereo has pledged to give at least Aus$500,000 (£326,000, US $523,600) to help Saldanha's grieving family.