Hospital staff where Kate Middleton had surgery ‘tried to access her medical records’
Hospital staff are under investigation at the world renowned clinic where the Princess of Wales had surgery, after reports emerged attempts were made to access her private medical notes.
At least one member of staff tried to access Kate’s notes while she was a patient at the private London Clinic in central London in January, it is claimed.
The princess was admitted to the hospital for abdominal surgery on 16 January and has not yet returned to royal duties.
Details of Kate’s condition have not been disclosed but Kensington Palace previously said it was not cancer-related and that the princess wished for her personal medical information to remain private.
Following the allegations about the medical records in The Mirror, the UK privacy and data protection watchdog said it had received a breach report.
An Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) spokesperson said on Tuesday: “We can confirm that we have received a breach report and are assessing the information provided.”
Kensington Palace said: “This is a matter for The London Clinic.”
Both the Metropolitan Police and The London Clinic have been approached for comment.
An insider told The Mirror that the alleged breach was “incredibly damaging” for the hospital, and senior bosses contacted royal aides immediately to assure them that there would be a full investigation.
Staff have reportedly been left “utterly shocked and distraught” that a colleague may have been responsible for the breach of trust and ethics.
It comes as the feeding frenzy around Kate’s health, absence from public life and a doctored photo issued on Mother’s Day continues.
Unfounded social media speculation about the princess and her health has been rampant in recent weeks, only worsening after family released an image which had been “manipulated”.
This led to a number of major picture agencies issuing a “kill notice” for the photo after peculiarities were noticed about Princess Charlotte’s sleeve, the uneven pattern on Prince Louis’s jumper and Kate’s hand.
Shortly afterwards, the princess released a statement on X personally apologising for the confusion caused and admitting that she occasionally experimented with editing.
Kate was this week seen with her husband at the Windsor Farm Shop close to their Adelaide cottage home in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Nelson Silva, 40, who filmed Kate shopping, told The Sun he believes the conspiracy theorists are “delusional”.
He said: “I’m not so much shocked that these comments have continued, I’m just confused how exactly they can continue.
“This is a video clearly showing her and William. I saw them with my own eyes. It was a completely relaxed situation.”
The royal couple also spent Sunday morning watching Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis taking part in a sporting event, according to the newspaper.
The future Queen has been photographed in public twice since her operation.
In a picture published on 4 March, she was a front-seat passenger in a car driven by her mother, Carole Middleton, in the Windsor area.
She was also spotted sitting next to William in a chauffeur-driven car last Monday, when he attended the Commonwealth Day service in London and she was taken to a private appointment.
It was reported at the weekend that Kate may speak about her health during public engagements which are not expected to resume until after Easter.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Princess’s passion for promoting the early years development of children was highlighted by her husband during his latest royal engagement.
William spoke fondly of Kate’s work as he spent the day in Sheffield catching up with the developments of his ambitious Homewards project, which aims to eradicate homelessness in six UK locations.
When the future king joined a Homewards Sheffield Local Coalition meeting, he smiled when a participant mentioned the importance of children’s early years, an issue the princess has raised awareness about for a number of years.
“Venturing into my wife’s territory here. She needs to be sat here to hear this,” William said as he grinned and held up his hands.
