KATE'S DESPAIR 'I'M SICK OF THE LIES!'

The princess is 'irritated' to find herself at the centre of conspiracy theories

After weeks of frenzied speculation about the Princess of Wales’ health and the state of her marriage, fuelled further by the release of a badly photoshopped family potrait, palace insiders say Kate is “frustrated” by the rumours and conspiracy theories swirling as she recovers from abdominal surgery in private.

“She understands there’s probably some benefit to confronting this situation head-on and telling the public the whole truth to avoid any more lies spreading," a royal source reports. "There's so much scrutiny on her marriage and health, but she's just not willing to go there at the moment."

Fortunately for the beleaguered princess - who has only been fleetingly glimpsed in public since her successful operation in January - Prince William has pledged to follow her lead.

"William's totally supportive of whatever she decides, regardless of what conspiracies get kicked up," adds the source."They're not putting any stock in the rumours that their marriage is in trouble and they're adamant it's fine.

"Still, it's irritating to see everyone whispering about it, even inside Buckingham Palace. William has a very short fuse, so this is pushing his buttons in a big way."

Last week, as rumours about Kate's disappearance from the public eye reached a crescendo, a video appearing to show a smiling Kate, 42, and her husband, 41, at the Windsor Farm Shop, near their home in Berkshire, went viral.