William splits from girlfriend

Prince William and his long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton have split up. The couple, who met at St Andrews University, have reached an "amicable agreement" to end their relationship, according to reports in the press.The Sun newspaper claimed that the split was caused by the huge pressures on the young couple and because of the time William has devoted to Army life.William is training to be a armoured troop commander at Camp Bovington in Dorset while Kate is working as an accessories buyer.The couple were widely tipped to one day tie the knot, with speculation mounting after Kate attended William's graduation parade at Sandhurst in December.Miss Middleton faced a barrage of press outside her home on her birthday in January and recently lodged a complaint with the Press Complaint Commission over alleged harassment, which she later settled.With news of their split, royal fans' hopes for a William and Kate wedding have been dashed.Since William started his training course in Dorset on March 16 they have seen each other no more than once a week, according to the Sun.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 in Dorset. Kate feels hugely frustrated that their relationship just seems to be going backwards at a rate of knots."© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

ITN | April 14, 2007

Tags:. .london. .hugely. .each. .seen. .couple