Hospital told of attempt to breach royal data
London Clinic embroiled in allegations that its staff tried to access the medical notes of Princess of Wales
THE hospital where the Princess of Wales underwent abdominal surgery is investigating claims that staff tried to access her medical notes, it was reported last night.
The alleged privacy breach relates to claims that at least one member of staff unrelated to her treatment tried to view her records, the Daily Mirror reported.
The Princess is said to have been made aware of the alleged breach.
Kensington Palace said: “It is a matter for the London Clinic.”
The Princess and the King were treated at the hospital at the same time in January. A spokesman for Buckingham Palace declined to comment. The London Clinic has not yet responded to questions about the alleged breach, but told the newspaper: “We firmly believe that all our patients, no matter their status, deserve total privacy and confidentiality regarding their medical information.”
The Princess underwent abdominal surgery on Jan 16 and was in the hospital for 13 days. While there, she was visited by the King who went in for treatment for the symptoms of an enlarged prostate, revealing cancer.
The allegations of a breach of the Princess’s medical privacy are said to have “sent shockwaves through the hospital”, which has advised and treated numerous members of the Royal family.
The Princess, who is still off work as she recovers from the surgery, has already been put under pressure thanks to worldwide conspiracy theories about her health and whereabouts.
It is an offence for members of staff in a healthcare setting to access the medical records of a patient without consent or the permission from the organisation’s data controller. The Met Police have not yet confirmed whether they have been informed of the allegations.
The Princess has been under considerable pressure following her operation. Growing conspiracy theories over her whereabouts were compounded by a furore over a doctored Mother’s Day photograph of her with her children. She later released an apology for airbrushing the image.
The Princess is due back on public duty at some point after Easter, and was this weekend seen at the Windsor Farm Shop with her husband Prince William.
Palace sources have consistently emphasised her desire for privacy.
Donald Trump has said the Princess’s photo editing row “shouldn’t be a big deal”.
In an interview with Nigel Farage on GB News, the former US president said: “Well, it shouldn’t be a big deal. Because everybody doctors [pictures].
“You look at these movie actors and you meet them and you say, ‘Is that the same person in the picture?’”
He said that the public should stop criticising the Princess for a “minor” edit. “It is a rough period and, you know, they’re really going after her.”
He also took aim at the Duke of Sussex, who has been accused of lying on his immigration forms when he moved to the United States with the Duchess of Sussex in 2020.
The Duke’s visa has become the subject of a lawsuit issued by the Heritage Foundation, a Right-wing think tank. Lawyers for the US government say his description of taking narcotics in his memoir Spare is “not proof he took drugs”.
“We’ll have to see if they know something about the drugs, and if he lied they’ll have to take appropriate action,” Mr Trump said. Pressed on whether that would mean “not staying in America”, he replied: “Oh, I don’t know. You’ll have to tell me. You just have to tell me.”
Mr Trump said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to leave Britain had insulted the late Queen Elizabeth, describing their decision as a “great disrespect done to a person that I got to know very well”.
Asked for his views on King Charles, Mr Trump said that he and the monarch have “different views” on environmental policy, but “got along”.
It is rare for Mr Trump to give an interview to a British news outlet, preferring instead to speak to conservative networks in the US.
Mr Farage is a friend of the former president and has suggested he would like to serve as the UK’S ambassador to the US under a Trump administration.