The writing has been on the wall since July, when the attractive blonde 19-year-old Spencer, eldest child of Earl Charles Spencer and his model former wife, Victoria Lockwood, told a British newspaper that she wanted to transfer from the University of Cape Town to University College London.

London's Daily Mail also quoted Spencer as saying that Eales, "a total surfer", would "not last in London".

Clearly suffering from heartbreak, Eales, a third-year industrial design student at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, told The Times yesterday that he did not want to discuss the break-up.

"I'm not in a position to talk about it. I know she gave some little interview mentioning it to the press, but I'm not in a place to talk about it," he said.

The qualified lifeguard did, however, say that he and Spencer were still very good friends.

"We keep in touch; there are no hard feelings between us. We are hanging out and going for lunch, but obviously not dating.

"We are trying to maintain a good friendship, which we have been doing so far," he said.

It was reported in the British tabloid that Spencer wanted to travel and was launching a fashion label in the US.

Eales, however, is happiest in the water at his home at Llandudno.

When asked if this was the reason for their split, Eales said there were "lots of little reasons, those were elements of it".

When The Times called, the 22-year-old was at university preparing for last night's opening of his end-of-year exhibition, but said he hoped to get to the beach soon.

Going back to her regal roots, Spencer is due to "come out" at the Bal des Debutantes at the Hotel de Crillon, in Paris, on Saturday.

Once a coming-of-age celebration for the upper classes, the tradition continues today with the welcoming of young women into society.

A UK newspaper reported that Spencer had engaged the services of Tatler magazine features writer Richard Dennen to accompany her to the ball as a "walker" because Eales was too scruffy.

Spencer, who two weeks ago won two Style awards, including most stylish person and most stylish model at an event at Sandton's Nelson Mandela Square, has lived in Cape Town since the age of five with her two sisters, Eliza and Amelia, and her brother, Viscount Louis.

Her father, who divorced her mother in 1997 amid claims of infidelity, had two more children by his second wife.