THE PURPLE BEAT: Prince hasn’t done a...

THE PURPLE BEAT: Prince hasn’t done a real interview in years--and even though that policy may change soon, it’s virtually impossible to uncover any reliable information about the reclusive popster. Whenever we call his management folks, all we get is a terse “no comment.”

That kind of aloof attitude has made Prince prime fodder for the tabloids, who’ve come up with another scoop--a hilarious “exclusive” account of a British model’s “date” with Prince. Various versions of the story have been popping up in newspapers around the country. We finally tracked down the original piece, which appeared in London’s lurid Weekly World News. Under the headline “All Prince Wanted Was His Knees Rubbed,” model Debbie Watson discussed her four-week “no-sex affair,” which led the tabloid to give Prince the ultimate accolade, declaring him “even weirder than Michael Jackson.”

Watson called her time with Prince “the most bizarre relationship I have known,” but added: “I adored Prince and I still do.” Watson seemed to be most peeved by Prince’s lack of interest in having sex, noting disconsolately: “If Prince had said, ‘Let’s go to bed,’ I’d have gone like a shot!” One chaste encounter found Prince hugging Watson on a settee. “Then he said he was tired and asked if he could put his head on my lap,” she said. “He lay there for a long time. Then he said it was my turn to put my head in his lap. I did as he said and he played with my hair and stroked my ears very gently and put his fingers in them. This went on for about 30 minutes. . . .”