Public interest is one thing, but a security breach is a crime

The Princess of Wales underwent abdominal surgery in January, with assurances from the Royal Palace that she was doing well and would resume duties in April.

Along the way, there have been calls for the Princess to give a health update, conspiracies, manipulated images, rumoured affairs, and question marks around Kate and Prince William's first public outing.

All of this, however, is small in comparison to recent events which took questions about the Princess' from curiosity to an illegal breach of security.

Sadly, last night, Kate was the victim of an alleged security breach after staff attempted to view her medical records at the London Clinic, according to The Mirror.

The clinic, where the Princess underwent abdominal surgery and treatment over 13 days in January, has launched an investigation into these claims.

The interest in Kate Middleton has spiralled out of control

The outlet reports that at least one member of staff was caught trying to access Kate's records, breaching her confidentiality.

One insider told The Mirror: “This is a major security breach and incredibly damaging for the hospital, given its unblemished reputation for treating members of the Royal Family.

"Senior hospital bosses contacted Kensington Palace immediately after the incident was brought to their attention and assured the palace there would be a full investigation.

"The whole medical staff have been left utterly shocked and distraught over the allegations and were very hurt that a trusted colleague could have allegedly been responsible for such a breach of trust and ethics.”

It is a crime for staff in any healthcare setting to access a patient's confidential records without the permission of the organisation's data controller.

While The London Clinic did not comment on the security breach claims, a spokesperson for the clinic told The Mirror:

"We firmly believe that all our patients, no matter their status, deserve total privacy and confidentiality regarding their medical information.”

Sources told the outlet that the hospital made the Palace aware of the alleged breach as soon as it was discovered, sources said. healt

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