Britain’s data watchdog said on Wednesday a healthcare professional at the private hospital where Kate, the Princess of Wales, had surgery in 2024 had tried to sell “highly sensitive personal information,” believed to be her medical records.
The Information Commissioner’s Office launched an investigation in March 2024 into whether staff had attempted to access medical records at the London Clinic, where Kate, the wife of the heir to the throne, Prince William, had undergone abdominal surgery two months earlier.
In a statement on Wednesday, the ICO said it had concluded a criminal investigation and found that a former healthcare worker had deliberately misused sensitive information and offered to disclose it for financial gain.
Sky News reported that the case concerned Kate, while the ICO declined to comment on who, specifically, the records belonged to. Her office, Kensington Palace, declined to comment.
Kate, 44, underwent surgery for an unspecified condition during her hospital stay. A few months later, she announced she would undergo a course of chemotherapy after tests revealed an unspecified form of cancer had been present.
The ICO said it had issued a formal caution in relation to the offense and did not find any wider failings at the London Clinic, one of the largest private hospitals in Britain, which has also treated King Charles.
Kate said last year she was in remission and has returned to public duties, carrying out her first official overseas visit since undergoing treatment when she went to Italy last month.