Late Queen's ex Communications Secretary says 'privacy should be sacrosanct' and predicts 'soft return' of Princess of Wales to public life will quickly stifle conspiracy theories

The late Queen's former communications advisor has said the current speculation about the Princess of Wales is unlikely to abate until she's back in the public eye. 

Speaking to Radio 4's Today programme, Simon Lewis, who was made Queen Elizabeth's first press secretary in 1998, said 'visibility' is particularly important when it comes to members of the royal family.

Lewis, who also worked as Gordon Brown’s official spokesman and now hosts the 'When it hits the fan' podcast with David Yelland, said his 'hunch' was that as soon as Kate appears back in public life, 'a lot of this will go away because the curious thing about the monarchy is the importance of this visibility.'  

The former press man added that no communications officer could deal with the current amount of online speculation about the Princess of Wales, including the deluge of TikTok conspiracy theories. 

Simon Lewis, once press secretary to former PM Gordon Brown, and the late Queen's first Communications Secretary, told Radio 4's Today programme that Kensington Palace will now look for a slow return to public duty for the Princess of Wales 

'Privacy is sacrosanct' Lewis said that while King Charles as sovereign has a responsibility to be more transparent about health issues, the Princess of Wales 'has a different set of requirements'

He said that the explosive claims that a staff member may have tried to access the Princess' medical records at The London Clinic, where she underwent abdominal surgery in January, is exactly why Kensington Palace would have been so keen to protect the royal.

The Princess was admitted to the hospital for abdominal surgery on January 16.

Details of Kate's condition have not been disclosed but Kensington Palace previously said it was not cancer related and that the princess wished for her personal medical information to remain private.

Lewis said of the potential attempt to access the royals' medical records: 'We don't know whether it's factually correct but for me, the more important point is this is exactly why I would have thought the Princess and the people around her were so concerned about her privacy. 

'Going to hospital at the best of times is a very stressful experience but to think there's a possibility of people actually accessing your records whilst you're there.'

Simon Lewis, right, now presents a BBC podcast with fellow comms expert David Yelland 

CEO Al Russell said: 'Everyone at the London Clinic is acutely aware of our individual, professional, ethical and legal duties with regards to patient confidentiality'

The London Clinic, where the Princess of Wales was treated after undergoing abdominal surgery, first opened its doors in 1932. Above: Police outside the hospital when Kate was receiving treatment 

He added: 'No wonder this debate about members of the royal family and public figures continues because that's the key point - there's a line as far as I'm concerned where privacy should be absolutely sacrosanct.'

The former adviser to the late monarch said Kensington Palace's statement in January was 'factually accurate - they said the Princess would not be in the public eye until Easter.'

He outlined that while King Charles as sovereign had a responsibility to be more transparent about health issues, the Princess of Wales 'has a different set of requirements'.

Lewis added that he expected Kate Middleton to cautiously return to the public eye in the coming weeks. 

He said: 'Kensington Palace are now thinking of a way of slowly reintroducing the Princess to public life. 

'There will be engagements, there will be opportunities for her to be seen.

'If she can slowly come back to public life the way that appears to have been planned, I suspect a quite different change in public attitude. [There has been] Huge support for her amongst the British people.' 

This afternoon, bosses at the prestigious hospital revealed they've launched an urgent review into claims that Kate's medical records were accessed.

The London Clinic's chief executive, Al Russell, finally broke his silence this afternoon, saying in a statement: 'Everyone at the London Clinic is acutely aware of our individual, professional, ethical and legal duties with regards to patient confidentiality.'

'We take enormous pride in the outstanding care and discretion we aim to deliver for all our patients that put their trust in us every day.

'We have systems in place to monitor management of patient information and, in the case of any breach, all appropriate investigatory, regulatory and disciplinary steps will be taken.

'There is no place at our hospital for those who intentionally breach the trust of any of our patients or colleagues.'

The Princess is said to be aware of the allegations, while a spokesperson for Kensington Palace said: 'This is a matter for the London Clinic.'