Will Kate kiss and tell her way to a fortune?

KATE Middleton is sitting on a multimillion-pound fortune if she chooses to sell the "biggest-ever kiss-and-tell story", according to Britain's leading publicist.

Within minutes of the news breaking yesterday that she had split with Prince William, her boyfriend of almost four years, a media bidding frenzy was sparked.

Max Clifford claims he has already had contact with several British papers, all desperate to buy up the story of the 25-year-old woman who many believed would be a future Queen of England.

Clifford said: "It would be the biggest-ever kiss-and-tell story if she sells, but she would never do that. I am sure she would never dream of doing that.

"But she is in the position of being the hottest kiss-and-tell property in history. I have already had contact from various national papers saying, 'If she contacts you, you tell us'."

There has been no official comment on the break-up from the royal household, but friends say the split is amicable. However, the royal family is now thought to be bracing itself for a barrage of rumour and counter-rumour over why the relationship ended and who the prince's next escort will be.

Despite the claims of a friendly split, Clifford says he believes there may be more to the story.

He added: "It has been increasingly obvious that William wanted to go out and enjoy himself. My instincts tell me that there is someone else in the background.

"There is just something that goes through my mind. That, maybe, he has met someone else.

"In the weeks and months ahead that would be gradually seen but, certainly, it will not be in the next few weeks."

Those close to the pair say that since Prince William, 24, became an officer with the Household Cavalry's Blues and Royals, he has been seeing less and less of his girlfriend.

They were last seen publicly together during last month's Cheltenham Festival and there had been increasing rumours that they would soon be engaged. But, privately, the prince is said to have admitted he would only get married when he turned 28.

Judy Wade, Hello! magazine's royal correspondent, said: "So recently we've seen them looking so happy together at the rugby and at Cheltenham. She was absolutely perfect."

She said Middleton's parent's would probably be most disappointed by the couple's decision to go their separate ways.

"I don't particularly blame the harassment of the press," she said. "I think Kate's been living in limbo, neither royal nor commoner any longer. It's been very difficult for her.

"William could have solved her problems by marrying her or announcing their engagement. She thought, 'Either marry me or I'm off'.

"I think that's the main reason: she was tired of life in limbo, even though she seemed perfect for it and seemed to be coping brilliantly."

Wade said the prince was "just not ready" for marriage, but added: "Let's not rule out a reconciliation when he realises what he has lost."

Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, said she thought the young couple had probably "got to a stage in their relationship where they couldn't go forwards".

"I was surprised. They have split up before but it was very much kept under wraps. Obviously, this time somebody wants the world to know - I can't imagine it was her."

She said it was probably a "very emotional" split, adding that the royal family would be sad about it because Kate was well-liked.

A 'close friend' of the prince and Middleton was quoted as saying: "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."

Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, born in the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, on January 9, 1982, first met Prince William at St Andrews University in 2001 when they both started studying the History of Art.

At the time they were living in the St Salvators Halls of Residence, albeit in separately-sexed accommodation.

Little over a year later, they moved into a four-bedroom cottage on the Strathtyrum Estate in Fife. Sharing with them was an old Etonian friend of the Prince called Felix Boyd. During this period, the prince was having serious doubts about his time at St Andrews and had spoken about quitting.

It was rumoured he was missing an ex-girlfriend, Arabella Musgrove, but Middleton was credited with persuading him to stay, although he opted to study geography.

By the autumn of 2003, there were strong rumours about the relationship between the Prince and Middleton, and the pair's liaison became public when they were photographed skiing together at the exclusive Swiss resort of Klosters.

They were immediately the hottest paparazzi couple, and while the prince may have been used to be the limelight, to his Middleton it was a complete culture shock.

But back in Fife and away from the cameras, the townsfolk rallied around the world's latest celebrity pairing and, along with the friends at St Andrews, vowed to keep them out of the public eye. According to one former student who was there at the time with them, Prince William and Middleton were "just another couple". The student, speaking on condition of anonymity said: "They were very much left alone by everyone during this time.

"We all knew who William was but, to us, he was just another student trying to get on with his life. Yes, he may have ben second-in-line for the throne but he was just a stand-up guy to us.

"He and Kate would be seen all the time hanging around together, doing what any other couple, what any of us, would normally do. They would go to Tesco together, order a takeaway pizza, go for a drink in the town or just head out for a walk."

He added: "The only thing that was different about them was when they moved out of town to the cottage on the Strathtyrum Estate.

"Most of the students stayed within the confines of Fife but, apart from that and the fact that the prince had a car, there was nothing else unusual about them.

"There were never any big shows of public affection but it was clear to all of us that they were close and really enjoyed each others company.

"A lot of the couples who meet and get together at St Andrews end up getting married and some people did think that was what was going to happen to William and Kate."

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