The Sun reported that the couple reached an "amicable agreement" to separate. The newspaper said the split was caused by the huge pressures on the young couple as well as by Price William's career in the army. William graduated from Sandhurst military academy this past December.
News of the split shocked many loyal royal observers because everyone thought that Kate Middleton and the Prince would be making an engagement announcement soon. British bookmaking firm William Hill stopped taking bets on whether the pair would get engaged back in January 2007 because they are so certain they will. Too bad William Hill did not continue to accept what seemed to a perfect bet! Other betting websites such as Bodog.com had the odds of the couple getting engaged at -125 .
The two met as students at St. Andrew's University in Scotland in 2001 and had been dating since 2003.
Middleton has been the focus of intense media pressure for months as rumors spread that the couple would announce their engagement. She has frequently had to dodge paparazzi and at one point Prince William had to plead for her safety. Pictures of Kate are worth thousands of dollars even if she is seen doing ordinary things. It was a media spectacle when she received a parking ticket outside her home. A shot of Kate Middleton in a bikini is said to sell for more than $50,000.
"We took the first-ever pictures of a potential queen of England taking the trash out," said Owen Beanie of the W Picture Agency. "Those pictures grossed us just over $45,000, and they're still selling now."
Last month, Middleton lodged a complaint of media harassment with Britain's press watchdog, the Press Complaints Commission. She settled the claim earlier this month following an apology and admission of error by the Daily Mirror newspaper.
