Threats of consequences

Medical records scandal: clinic boss takes a stand

According to a newspaper report, an employee is said to have secretly attempted to gain access to the Princess of Wales' patient records.

(Bild: WPA)

According to a report in the "Mirror" newspaper, at least one member of staff at the private London clinic where Princess Kate (42) was treated is said to have tried to obtain the future Queen's medical records. The head of the clinic has now spoken out.

According to reports, an investigation has been launched at the London Clinic because staff allegedly tried to access the private medical records of the Princess of Wales.

At least one member of staff tried to access notes about Kate that were made when she was a patient at the private clinic in central London in January, reports the Mirror.

The head of the London Clinic, Al Russell, announced an investigation and disciplinary consequences. "There is no place in our hospital for those who deliberately abuse the trust of our patients or colleagues," said Russell on Wednesday.

The British Minister of State for Health, Maria Caulfield, told Sky News that the allegations were serious. There are strict regulations as to which employees are allowed to view which data. This applies to the data of all patients, Caulfield emphasized. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman called on the public to support Kate and her husband Prince William (41). He wished them a speedy recovery.

Princess Kate and King Charles were both treated at the London Clinic in January.

(Bild: AFP, APA, AP, Krone KREATIV)

"Deeply shocked"
"All the medical staff are deeply shocked and distressed by the allegations and were very hurt that a trusted colleague should have been responsible for such a breach of trust and ethics," an insider told the newspaper.

Charles' patient files not affected
The princess was admitted to hospital in January for an abdominal operation. Details of Kate's condition were not disclosed.

Kate will not return to public appointments until after Easter. Her absence had recently caused much speculation.

(Bild: www.PPS.at)

As King Charles III (75) was also treated for his prostate in the same private clinic in January, there were concerns that the private medical details of the monarch, who has cancer, could also be affected. But this is apparently not the case, as the Mirror reported.

The London Clinic has informed Buckingham Palace that the alleged data breach involving Princess Kate, which is currently being investigated, "did not involve the monarch", sources confirmed to the British newspaper.