Paper apologises to Kate Middleton

LONDON (Reuters) - The editor of the Daily Mirror newspaper apologised on Friday for publishing a photograph of Kate Middleton, girlfriend of Prince William, a day after she made an official complaint.

The picture, which appeared on page 22 of Thursday's Mirror, showed her glancing over her shoulder as she walked along the street holding a coffee.

It was accompanied by a caption suggesting "stony-faced Kate" was about to scold William after he was pictured this month with other women in night clubs.

"Look out Wills, here comes an heir-bashing" ran the headline.

Middleton immediately made a formal complaint to the Press Complaints Commission (PCC), saying the unsigned photograph was taken as a result of harassment.

The Mirror's editor Richard Wallace said his paper had always steered a "sensible course" over publishing photos of Middleton but apologised for printing the "innocuous" picture.

"It was taken by a freelance photographer in circumstances where we were later told she felt harassed," he said in a statement. "We got it wrong and we sincerely regret that."

William and Middleton met when they were students at St Andrews University in Scotland.

Police protection for Middleton has been stepped up as paparazzi relentlessly pursue her in the same way they did William's mother, Princess Diana.