Her self-proclaimed “bad uncle” Gary Goldsmith entered the Celebrity Big Brother house last week, but Kate Middleton found herself at the centre of a real-life drama as the ongoing speculation around her January operation reached fever pitch.

While Kensington Palace made it clear in its January statement that Kate, 42, would be absent from her royal duties until at least Easter following planned abdominal surgery, the mum-of-three’s sudden disappearance from the public eye for almost three months came as shock to fans – with the royal rumour mill going into overdrive.

Now, as conspiracy theories across social media – which have included unverified claims, from mystery illnesses to an alleged affair – continue to gain momentum, a source tells Closer that the much-loved royal has been left “exhausted” and “fed up”

The insider says, “The rumours are exhausting and horrendous, quite honestly. Kate is made of strong stuff but is finding this so difficult, verging on utterly insufferable.

“Kate has been trying not to pay any attention to all the noise and rumour mongering and William has been shielding her from it as best he can, but unfortunately, she’s aware that there are all kinds of hysteria and wildly inaccurate conspiracy theories going on. It’s been tearing them apart.”

Last week, Kate was photographed in public as a passenger in her mum Carole’s car close to the home she shares with Prince William in Windsor.

Yet while this has silenced speculation on social media that there had been complications following her surgery which had led to her falling into a coma and spawned the hashtag #WhereIsKate, social media users are still offering their theories around her mystery surgery, which have included speculation around a hysterectomy, Crohn’s Disease and even an alleged eating disorder.

And with William, 42, pulling out of his godfather’s memorial service last month with under an hour to go, citing a “personal matter”, fans and celebrities have continued to speculate over the state of the fragile monarchy.

Loose Woman Denise Welch shared her thoughts on Kate last week, saying, “Just tell us what’s the matter. Just tell us. Just do a photo, whether it’s from your bed or whatever it is.”

And now the source says that Kate and William are struggling as they increasingly feel under pressure to set the record straight.

The insider says, “It’s very frustrating and unsettling for Kate, and William is tired of fending off questions about how she is doing. He feels very strongly that enough is enough and Kate continues to be aware of it all. She’s utterly fed up.”

KATE’S UNCLE GARY GOES ON CBB

Quizzed by housemate Fern Britton as to what he could spill the beans on when it came to the royals, Kate’s estranged uncle Gary Goldsmith replied “anything”. The royals were reported to have been left “infuriated” when Gary, 58, the younger brother of Kate’s mum Carole, signed up for the show. Within hours of entering the house, Gary had already shared his views on Meghan. The self-titled “buncle” (bad uncle) also came under fire from viewers for his previous charge of assault against his fourth ex-wife.

HARRY’S STRIPPER PICS

Following his confession about losing his virginity to an “older woman” in his memoir, Prince Harry’s sex life hit headlines again last week when a stripper who previously attempted to auction off a pair of his pants threatened to leak photos of him in the “buff”. Carrie Royale, 52, alleges she kissed him during his infamous night in Las Vegas, aged 27, during which he played strip poker. Now, threatening to release the snaps on OnlyFans, she says, “I have poolside pictures of before the night and shots of Harry in the buff. People will be shocked by them.”

ANDREW & FERGIE’S MONEY SCANDAL

Marking two years since he settled his scandalous sexual assault case, last week it was alleged that Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson had received £1.4m of stolen money from a corrupt Turkish financier who claimed he was acting on behalf of a wealthy heiress. While the Duke and Duchess of York are said not to have known the money was stolen, the former banker is being accused of transferring money on several occasions to Andrew and Sarah and their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.