Prince William Breaks Up With Girlfriend

The couple had been under intense media pressure since they met at St Andrews University, Fife, in 2001, BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said. The prince's move to an army camp in Dorset, and Miss Middleton continuing her life in London, are also said to have put a strain on the relationship. Clarence House has not commented on the split. There had been speculation about a possible engagement in recent months.

BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said: "It's a surprise, because it had seemed very stable and very steady." He said he thought the prince's move to Bovington Camp in Dorset had "a lot to do with the final stages" of the break-up. The Sun reported that the couple had seen each other no more than once a week since then. "One must suspect, though I don't know that this is absolutely certain, that it is more his decision than hers," said Nicholas Witchell.

"He has said in the past that he is too young to get married. "But I am led to believe that there is no-one else involved and that it is a decision they have come to mutually."