LONDON - British opposition Labour party leader Keir Starmer urged people on Thursday to leave Kate, the Princess of Wales, alone after she has become the focus of speculation, rumour and bizarre conspiracy theories since having abdominal surgery in January.

Speaking on Channel 5 television, Starmer said he was speaking "as a human being" rather than as a politician when he expressed his view that Kate deserved privacy following her surgery for a non-cancerous but unspecified condition.

For weeks she has been the centre of online rumours and her apology this month for editing a photo taken by her husband William of her and her three children sparked further intrigue. A number of British newspapers such as the Sun have run stories calling on the public to stop the speculation.

Asked whether he felt sorry for Kate, Starmer said: "Yes, I think that we should leave her alone. She's had a difficult operation and she deserves privacy.

"As a human being that we should just butt out and leave her alone ... It's a human response."

Since her surgery, Kate's office has stuck to its official line that the princess was recovering well and that it would only provide significant updates, in keeping with the royal mantra of "never complain, never explain".

Kate was last seen when the Sun published a video on its website showing the smiling Princess of Wales walking and carrying shopping bags alongside William, the heir to the throne, at a farm shop in Windsor near their home.

On Wednesday, Britain's data watchdog said it was looking into a report that staff at the hospital where Kate underwent her surgery had attempted to access her private health records. REUTERS