Brits asked to probe if hosp worker tried to see Kate’s med info
Authorities in the United Kingdom have been asked to launch an investigation into whether a snooping staffer at the London Clinic tried to sneak a peak at the Princess of Wales’ private medical records.
“We can confirm that we have received a breach report and are assessing the information provided,” the U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office, the nation’s independent regulator for data protection and freedom of information, said in a statement.
Health official Maria Caulfield also confirmed Wednesday that police have been tapped to investigate claims made in an article published by the Daily Mirror newspaper on Tuesday. Citing an inside source, the report suggests at least one staff member at the London Clinic tried to illegally access Princess Catherine’s records. She spent 13 nights at the renowned medical facility in London after a planned abdominal surgery in January.
Caulfield, in an interview with LBC radio, also noted that “there are particularly hefty implications if you are looking at notes for medical records that you should not be looking at.”
While specific details regarding the princess’ condition have not been provided, Kensington Palace previously said it was not cancer-related and that she would likely be unable to return to her royal duties until after Easter. Despite that, her absence from the public eye has sparked rumors and conspiracy theories regarding her whereabouts, which have also spawned news stories and think pieces.
The speculation reached a new high earlier this month, when the palace released an image of Kate and her three children — George, Charlotte, and Louis — to celebrate Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom. By the day’s end however, the image, the first to feature the Princess of Wales since her surgery, was yanked from news outlets over concerns about editing and manipulation.
Kate ultimately took the fall for the photo faux pas, writing in a social media statement that she, “like many amateur photographers,” had been experimenting with “editing.”
Rumors continued to swirl about the royal on Wednesday, even after TMZ on Monday published the first video of the princess since her January procedure. In the 40-second clip, reportedly taken Saturday, she can be seen walking alongside her husband, Prince William, outside Windsor Farm Shop.
When asked for comment regarding the princess’ medical records, Kensington Palace, the office of Kate and Prince William, said it was “a matter for the London Clinic.” The medical facility, meanwhile, declined to speak on the matter directly, saying only that they “firmly believe that all our patients, no matter their status, deserve total privacy and confidentiality regarding their medical information.”