Catherine, Princess of Wales data breach: Three staff reportedly under investigation
Three members of staff are reportedly being investigated for trying to access royal medical records at The London Clinic.
Catherine, Princess of Wales underwent abdominal surgery at the medical facility in January and after it was revealed her notes were involved in a "major security breach", ITV News has claimed multiple people are facing disciplinary action following a potential breach of data.
The hospital - which also treated King Charles for an enlarged prostate around the same time as Catherine was recovering from her operation - has said there is "no place" for any staff attempting to access patient information.
Chief Executive Al Russell said in a statement: “There is no place at our hospital for those who intentionally breach the trust of any of our patients or colleagues.
“We take enormous pride in the outstanding care and discretion we aim to deliver for all our patients that put their trust in us every day.
"We have systems in place to monitor management of patient information and, in the case of any breach, all appropriate investigatory, regulatory and disciplinary steps will be taken."
Asked about the number of staff being investigated, a spokesperson declined to comment other than to say “all our patients, no matter what their status, deserve total privacy and confidentiality regarding their personal medical information”.
It is unclear if the king’s medical data was affected by the potential breach.
A royal spokesperson declined to comment on the monarch's medical data or security when asked if her, like his daughter-in-law, had been informed of a potential breach at the hospital.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has confirmed they have "received a breach report" and are "assessing the information provided", but did not say if it contained one or more allegations.
The office of the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, have urged people in the UK to "get behind" the princess and her husband, Prince William.
His spokesperson said: “Clearly there are strict rules on patient data that must be followed.
"I think we all want to get behind the Princess of Wales, and indeed the Prince of Wales, and we obviously wish her the speediest of recoveries.”