London Clinic caught in Kate Middleton medical records row has its own concierge, offers meat from Smithfields market and fish from Cornish boats and counts Prince Philip, Princess Margaret, Liz Taylor and JFK among its famous patients

The private hospital caught in a row over Kate Middleton's medical records offers its own concierge, meat from Smithfields market and fish from Cornish boats, while counting Prince Philip, Liz Taylor and John F Kennedy as former patients.

The London Clinic has been the go-to hospital for the royal family, big-name politicians and celebrities, and therefore prides itself on the discretion of its staff members to maintain their privacy. 

However the illustrious reputation of the private clinic in Marylebone has now come into disrepute after it was claimed that staff tried to access the Princess of Wales’s private medical records.

It is claimed at least one staff member attempted to access Kate's personal details after she received abdominal surgery at the London Clinic in January.

The King, who is undergoing treatment for a form of cancer, was also treated at the centre for an enlarged prostate at the same time Kate visited earlier this year.

The London Clinic, where the Princess of Wales was treated after undergoing abdominal surgery, first opened in 1932. Above: Police outside the hospital in January

Kate Middleton underwent surgery at The London Clinic in January. It is claimed that staff tried to access the Princess of Wales ’s private medical records while she was there

The service on offer to patients at the private hospital - including meals brought on silver trolleys - has been compared to that of a 5-star hotel 

Meals provided include fish from Cornish boats and meat from Smithfield market

The London Clinic was officially opened by the then-Duke and Duchess of York in 1932. Since the 1980s, a number of facilities at the site have been officially launched by members of the royal family.

The King, as the then-Prince of Wales, opened the physiotherapy department in 1989, while Princess Margaret launched the MRI unit in 1991 and the late Queen unveiled a new cancer unit in 2010.

Prince Philip was admitted to the clinic for what was described as 'abdominal investigations' in 2013, whilst Princess Margaret was treated there in 1980 to have a benign skin lesion removed.

In 1947, Kennedy, who was then a US Congressman, was diagnosed with Addison's disease at the clinic.

Taylor underwent a knee operation there in January 1963 after falling on a film set.

Other former patients include former Labour Prime Minister Clement Attlee, who was admitted in 1939 - when he was Leader of the Opposition - for surgery on his prostate.

Another former PM, Conservative Anthony Eden, had his gall bladder removed at The London Clinic in 1953, when he was Foreign Secretary.

Current Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who was PM from 2010 until 2016, was born there in 1966.

The London Clinic has previously treated Prince Philip. The late Duke of Edinburgh is pictured above leaving the private hospital in 2013

Queen Elizabeth II is pictured leaving the London Clinic after visiting her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on June 15, 2013

Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor underwent a knee operation at The London Clinic in January 1963. Above: Taylor leaving the hospital with her leg bandaged

Lord Cameron, former Prime Minister and now Foreign Secretary, was born at the London Clinic in October 1966

EastEnders actress Wendy Richard died at the clinic in 2009 after suffering from breast cancer, whilst Augusto Pinochet, the former dictator of Chile, was arrested there in 1998 for crimes against humanity.

The London Clinic was the brainchild of a group of Harley Street doctors who set out to plan a new nursing home using the highest medical standards of the day.

According to its website, the hospital was 'founded on the principles of providing excellence in one place'.

The facility said it could treat 155 conditions, with hundreds of treatments, tests and scans available. It also operated as a charity, reinvesting in research, education and innovation.

The clinic has a leading cancer centre which hosts patients for chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other treatments.

It boasts of being able to provide 'CyberKnife' radiotherapy for prostate cancer patients, 'SpyGlass' technology for patients needing an endoscopy and CAR-T immunotherapy for cancer sufferers.

In 2019, it unveiled a specialist centre for robotic surgery.

The latest inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), carried out in June 2021, rated The London Clinic as 'good' overall.

According to the health watchdog, the hospital has about 23,000 inpatients a year, with a further 110,000 outpatients.

It is registered to provide surgery as well as diagnostics and screening, treatment of disease, disorder or injury, management of supply of blood and blood-derived products.

Princess Margaret was treated there in 1980 to have a benign skin lesion removed

Future Labour PM Clement Attlee - then the Leader of the Opposition - is seen recovering in bed at The London Clinic in 1939 after having surgery on his prostate  

US President John F Kennedy, pictured here with the Queen during a state dinner at Buckingham Palace in 1961, was diagnosed with Addison's Disease at the London Clinic in 1947

The building at 20 Devonshire Place has seven main operating theatres and three additional theatres, as well as six specialty wards for surgeries in urology, gynaecology, thoracic surgery, orthopaedics and spinal procedures.

In 2021, the clinic's head chef, Paul O'Brien, was awarded for supporting patients during the coronavirus pandemic.

He leads a team which provides customised meals for patients that also source ingredients from Home Counties farms.

A concierge can help patients arrange travel and accommodation whilst also booking tours, theatre shows and restaurants in the capital.

The service on offer to patients at the private hospital - including meals brought on silver trolleys - has been compared to that of a 5-star hotel.

The hospital's executive chef heads up a kitchen that serves fish from Cornish boats and meat from Smithfields Market.