A former staff member at a private London hospital tried to unlawfully obtain the Princess of Wales’ medical records and leak them for cash when she was a patient in 2024.
Kate, 44, stayed at The London Clinic in Marylebone for 13 days after undergoing major abdominal surgery in January 2024.
It was during this operation that doctors discovered the future Queen had an undisclosed form of cancer.
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has now cautioned the former healthcare worker after a criminal investigation, launched in March 2024, found they had tried to access Kate’s notes.
“Following a full assessment under the Code for Crown Prosecutors and the ICO’s Prosecution Policy, the ICO issued a now former healthcare professional from London with a formal caution in relation to an offence under section 170(5) of the Data Protection Act 2018,” an ICO spokesperson said on Wednesday.
“The conduct involved the deliberate misuse of highly sensitive personal information and an offer to disclose it for financial gain, representing a clear breach of trust.”
The independent regulatory body stated its investigation did not find any evidence of “wider organisational issues arising from the healthcare provision in this matter”.
A spokesperson for the central London hospital said: “We are pleased our work with the ICO has brought this sad and isolated incident to a conclusion. There were no regulatory breaches by the hospital.”
The hospital worker, who has been described as being a trusted employee, has been sacked, The Mirror reports.
Sources told the newspaper that staff had been left “utterly shocked and distraught” over the breach of trust.
The London Clinic is highly regarded as one of the world’s best hospitals.
King Charles was a patient there in 2024 for treatment for an enlarged prostate, and the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were also treated there.
During his three-day stay at the hospital, doctors discovered the King had an unspecified form of cancer, which he is still receiving treatment for.
Princess Kate’s cancer was announced two months after her surgery, following cruel online speculation about her whereabouts after she stepped back from public life.
Her treatment ended in September 2024, and the Princess confirmed at the start of 2025 that she was in remission.
Since then, she has gradually returned to royal duties, most recently joining other members of the Royal Family at Royal Ascot, the Order of the Garter service and Trooping the Colour.