Kate and William drifting apart?

Kate Middleton and Prince William's relationship is "virtually over" according to friends. Although William is said to still care for Kate his "passion has evaporated" and he is letting their 4-year relationship slowly limp to an end. Again. Kate is also said to be "frustrated" that their relationship has not moved forward since getting back together in July and is "resigned" to let William go once and for all.

Said the friend, "William has been distancing himself from Kate for a while. He loves Kate dearly and doesn't want to hurt her. They are in touch, but their lives are pulling in different directions. There's a feeling that things have simply run their course.

"It's a sad thing for both of them. William fears he will not find anybody else who loves and cares for him so much. But does he want to spend the rest of his life with her, which means making Kate his Queen? It really is a dilemma for him."

William's current military commitments have contributed to the time he has spent away from Kate. Although the couple was able to spend some time together in London and at the Queen's Sandringham Estate this December William missed her 26th birthday in January. The couple were last seen together publicly in December when Kate joined William and Harry at the Volstead Club in Mayfair for their cousin Peter Phillips' belated 30th birthday celebration.

William's grandfather Prince Philip has apparently been urging William to "stop dithering" and make up his mind about Kate. After the couple's last break-up it was reported that William had told his grandparents that he wasn't sure if he loved Kate enough to marry her. Said a source, "Philip is determined that William must not make the same mistakes as his father. Prince Charles waited until he was 32 to wed and ended up in a disastrous marriage before returning to his first love Camilla. His popularity never recovered.

"Philip fears that if William keeps Kate hanging on, his popularity could ebb away. He told him all this in a friendly chat."

If rumors of their latest split are true it will come as distressing news to royal reporters who have been hedging their bets on an engagement between the two this year. A television producer left in the lurch by the news as well. So certain of an engagement announcement after William completes his military duties, ITV produced a documentary about the couple's relation to be aired on the same day as their engagement. Said a source at ITV, "In order to be ahead of the game ITV have already made a documentary to be aired immediately after Wills and Kate make an announcement.

"Historian Andrew Roberts has been brought in to discuss the historical significance of a future king marrying a 'commoner' for the first time since James II, and the editor of Tatler magazine discussing the society side of it.

"They spent the last month filming in Kate's home village of Buckleberry and outside her grandfather's old home in Southall, West London."

Many Brits will be deflated by the news as well. A recent poll showed an overwhelming number of Britons are keen to have Kate as their future queen. But no doubt the speculation will continue, at least until Kate makes--or fails to make--an appearance at Peter Phillips' wedding to Autumn Kelly this year. Said an unnamed courtier, "Let's just say their relationship has been stronger in the past. An engagement is far from inevitable. One of the real tests will be if Kate attends Peter Phillips' wedding later this year. The rest of The Firm will be there."

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