Kate Middleton’s medical records were at risk of an attempted breach by a staff member at the clinic where she was treated earlier this year, reports say.
The Princess of Wales underwent planned abdominal surgery at The London Clinic in January, the same world-renowned hospital where King Charles received treatment for an enlarged prostate.
The clinic has launched an investigation over claims staff attempted to access the 42-year-old’s notes, writes The Mirror.
The central London clinic has treated some of the world’s elite, from the royals and celebrities to former Presidents. The late Queen Elizabeth II, her husband Prince Philip as well as Princess Margaret have sought treatment at the clinic. Another high-profile patient was the late John F Kennedy.
READ NEXT: Meghan Markle victory as defamation case filed by her half-sister thrown out of court
The outlet reports bosses at the clinic contacted Kensington Palace “immediately after the incident”, an insider claims.
They added: “The whole medical staff have been left utterly shocked and distraught over the allegations and were very hurt that a trusted colleague could have possibly been responsible for such a breach of trust and ethics.”
It is a criminal offense for any staff to access a patient’s medical records without consent from the private or public organization’s data controller.
An Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we have received a breach report and are assessing the information provided.”
The London clinic has said in a statement: “We firmly believe that all our patients, no matter their status, deserve total privacy and confidentiality regarding their medical information.”
However, the center failed to respond to the claims of the attempted breach.
Kensington Palace has simply said: “This is a matter for The London Clinic.”
It comes after the Princess of Wales has not been seen at a royal event since Christmas Day, but she was seen visiting a farm shop one mile from her cottage home over the weekend.
READ NEXT: Prince William accused of ‘trying to cover something up’ by TV star
Kate and Prince William were seen buying groceries in casual clothing, with the mom-of-three carrying a big bag of food and walking briskly towards the car park.
The footage arrived after a week-long social media hunt, where members of the public have been spreading strange conspiracy theories, memes, and jokes about the princess’ absence. Some baseless claims revolve around infidelity from both sides of the marriage, a secret love child, or worse.
The cruel theories have stretched into mainstream television, where John Oliver claimed on his evening show there’s ‘non-zero’ chance Kate died.
The princess was even mocked by Dutch royalty over her Photoshop scandal last week too, when he made a joke at her expense while greeting fans.
Kensington Palace announced in the New Year Kate would be undergoing planned abdominal surgery and won’t return to official duties until after Easter.
Then on UK’s Mother’s Day, on March 10, they released a picture of the 42-year-old with their three children, Prince George, Louis, and Princess Charlotte. However, photo editors within hours analyzed the picture and issued a ‘kill notice’ over fears it had been doctored.
Kate then publicly apologized and admitted she had Photoshopped the photo, speaking of how she dabbled in the practice as an amateur photographer.
Kensington Palace has refused to release the original photo and says it has no plans to do so.
READ NEXT: Kate Middleton’s uncle could make the royals look ‘ridiculous’, says commentator
