Wills and Kate

Prince William has split from his girlfriend Kate Middleton, PEOPLE has confirmed.The breakup was "amicable," according to a friend of the couple.The prince, 24, and Middleton, 25, have been dating for nearly five years, after meeting at St. Andrews University in Scotland.A spokesman at the prince's office at Clarence House says they will not be commenting. "We don't comment on Prince William's private life," the rep says. Britain's The Sun newspaper first reported Saturday that the pair had reached an "amicable agreement" to separate.

The pair are said to have grown increasingly independent of each other since their university days. William is currently taking an armored corps commander course in Dorset, around 125 miles west of London, and it has kept him from Middleton and her new life in London.Middleton, who is an accessories buyer for the British fashion chain Jigsaw, also was having difficulties with the media pressure that came with being his long-term girlfriend. (Speculation continued over whether the couple would get engaged.)Although she has been "brave," as one friend tells PEOPLE, the attention was an ongoing source of trouble. Earlier this month she won a public apology from a British newspaper after it printed a photograph of her heading to work.The engagement talk peaked in December, when she appeared at his graduation from military college, sitting in a prominent seat along with her parents and two of his closest friends.

Wills and Kate on skate date



ROMANTIC Prince William has been taking girlfriend Kate Middleton to public ICE SKATING sessions, The Sun can reveal.



Wills, 25, paid £12.50 for two tickets for 45 minutes' skating at London's posh Somerset House rink on Thursday.

The smitten pair skated to classical music in front of 200 others - and held hands at one point as they glided across the ice.

A source said: "It was very romantic and they seemed keen to keep to it very low key.



They danced for about an hour and both of them seemed pretty good at it. They'd obviously done it before.

"A few people on the rink looked a bit surprised to see the future King of England skating alongside them.

"One couple nearly fell over as they tried to get a better look."

The source added: "You couldn't ask for a more beautiful place to take a girl ice-skating.

"It's a stunning venue in the day, but at night it's lit up and the rink is surrounded by flaming torches.

"There's a huge Christmas tree overlooking the ice and the whole experience is mind-blowing. It's incredibly impressive.

"Wills clearly knows the way to melt a girl's heart."





Prince William and Kate's royal tour video: Ottawa prepares for Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's arrival

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are due to arrive in Ottawa at 7pm tonight - 2pm local time.

But Daily Mirror royal reporter Victoria Murphy and photographer Ian Vogler flew out earlier this week to see what awaits the newlyweds on their first official tour.

Prince William and Kate Middleton's North American Trip Guide





Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends the Irish Guards Medal Parade at the Victoria Barracks, June 25, 2011 in Windsor, England.