The Sun broke the surprise news on Saturday and friends of the second in line to the throne confirmed the tabloid story was correct. An official spokesman for William, eldest son of the late Princess Diana, said only: "We do not discuss his private life." Middleton, the eldest child of middle-class entrepreneurs who had won plaudits for her fashionable dress sense and poise, was widely tipped to be the next Queen. She was pursued everywhere by paparazzi photographers - as Princess Diana was.
The Sun said that the couple, who met while studying at St Andrews University in Scotland, had reached "an amicable agreement" to end their relationship. The young couple - he is 24 and she is 25 - were seen hugging and kissing during a skiing holiday in Switzerland only last month. The Sun said their relationship had been strained since William graduated from Sandhurst military academy last December at a ceremony attended by Middleton.
William is pursuing his career as an army officer. His younger brother, Prince Harry, also graduated from Sandhurst and is due to join frontline troops in Iraq next month. A close friend of the couple told the paper: "As far as Kate is concerned, William simply hasn't been paying her enough attention. She is stuck in London while he is living in an officer's mess. Kate feels hugely frustrated that their relationship just seems to be going backwards at a rate of knots."
Last month the Sun published a photo of William