Will, Kate caught kissing

2006-01-05 14:21

London - Britain's Prince William has shared his first public kiss with girlfriend Kate Middleton, newspapers reported on Thursday.

The Sun and the Daily Mail printed pictures of the 23-year-olds embracing on the slopes at the Klosters ski resort in Switzerland.

It is the first time the pair have been caught so intimately in public, after four years of maintaining discretion at all times, the Mail reported.

An onlooker told The Sun: "As Kate caught her breath, William placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close for a long, slow, kiss on the lips. It was very romantic and lasted several moments."

William, second in line to the throne, begins his Army officer training on Sunday at the elite Sandhurst military academy where his younger brother Prince Harry is part-way through the course.

The couple will not be able to see each other for the gruelling first five weeks of the course.

Klosters is a favourite destination for Prince Charles, William and Harry's father.

The newspapers made comparisons with Charles's visits to the Swiss Alps with the junior princes' mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

William and Middleton met at St Andrew's University in Scotland and shared a house with friends. William received his geography degree in June.

At Sandhurst, Officer Cadet Wales will find himself polishing boots, ironing shirts, facing intensive drill sessions and enduring gruelling physical training. He will also have to do all his own laundry.

William will be woken at dawn every day for the first five weeks to face a room inspection, when his equipment will be meticulously checked and must be placed in exactly the right spot.

Later in the course he will be allowed some weekends off, giving him the chance to snatch some precious time with his girlfriend.

- SAPA