William and Kate 'split up on ski trip'

Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton decided to part during tearful heart-to-heart talks in the Alps, it was reported today.

The pair realised “it was over” during a ski break in the resort of Zermatt, Switzerland, last month, according to a report in The Sun.

A friend quoted in the newspaper said they reached a “mature decision” with “no angry words”.

“They were a normal couple who wanted different things. It is sad for them, but then it is sad for any young couple who break up after a number of years,” the friend was reported as saying.

The report comes amid speculation that Prince William was “dallying” with at least two society beauties as Miss Middleton battled to save their romance.

He has been involved in a serious “flirtation” with a well-connected young woman for four months, the Daily Mail reported.

At the same time, the newspaper reported, William has been seen kissing and cuddling with an attractive blonde woman in a London nightclub.

He has managed to keep both women’s identities secret and neither is among the string of names to be publicly linked with the prince in recent months, according to the report.

The newspaper said Prince William began effectively acting as a single man after Miss Middleton revealed her “devastation” that an expected announcement of their engagement never came in February.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair urged people yesterday to let William and Miss Middleton get on with their lives, claiming most of the coverage about their shock break-up would be “nonsense”.