James Middleton and Donna Air have split up

A friend said: "They broke up some time ago. They managed to keep it quiet."

But James is hoping he and 38-year-old Donna - who has 14-year-old daughter Freya with her ex Damian Aspinall - will get back together soon.

A close pal added to the Daily Mail newspaper: "James hopes the split will not be permanent."

Last November, James publicly dec lared his love for Donna, and admitted he would be keen to have children one day.

He said: "We are thinking about where we are going next.

"I love Donna very much. Marriage is absolutely not something I'm scared of but it isn't necessarily the be-all and end-all.

"We are quite purposeful, forward-thinking people, so we needed wind in our sails in order to progress.

"She makes me very happy [and] I think I make her very happy. I want children. I've said that before. I will have children, but you'll have to wait."

In September 2015, the pair insisted their relationship had not ended, despite such reports.

They said: "Mark Twain once complained that reports of his death were exaggerated.

"A few days ago we were equally amazed to read the obituaries of our relationship in the national press.

"Happily, we can report that our relationship is not over. We are still very much a couple and have not parted ways."

James declined to comment to the publication on Sunday (15.10.17).