The recent obsession with Kate Middleton — her physical whereabouts, the status of her marriage, and her medical history — is no longer relegated to grainy pap shots and TikTok sleuths. The New York Times reports that Britain’s privacy and data-protection watchdog — the Information Commissioner’s Office — is investigating a possible breach of Middleton’s medical records.
“We can confirm that we have received a breach report and are assessing the information provided,” a spokesman for the Information Commissioner’s Office told the Times. The breach was first reported by British tabloid the Daily Mirror.
Per the Mirror, the London Clinic — the hospital where Middleton underwent what Kensington Palace described as a “planned abdominal surgery” in January — reportedly contacted the Palace after learning that an employee at the clinic tried to access Middleton’s medical files. It is unclear if the employee was successful or if they shared the documents with anyone. Such files would likely contain Middleton’s private medical information, including why she was admitted to the clinic and details of her recovery and medical history. In a statement Wednesday, the Clinic’s CEO, Al Russell, stressed that the institution values discretion. “In the case of any breach, all appropriate investigatory, regulatory, and disciplinary steps will be taken,” he said. “There is no place at our hospital for those who intentionally breach the trust of any of our patients or colleagues.”
Although the Palace said in January that Middleton would be recovering privately until Easter, her absence from public life has resulted in wild speculation online. Over the weekend, after a failed Photoshop job and amid swirling rumors about Prince William’s alleged affair, TMZ published a video of her at a farm shop with William. For its part, Kensington Palace seems committed to saying as little as possible. Asked about the breach, a Palace spokesman said, “This is a matter for the London Clinic.”