Prince crowned again

By royal ascent: Prince announces he is back

The Artist Formerly Known As Prince has changed his name again - to Prince.

For the last seven years, the pop star has demanded that he should be addressed as an unpronounceable squiggly symbol, following a row with his record company.

But now his contract with Warner Brothers has expired, he told a press conference he was returning to his old name.

He insisted this time he would not be changing his mind.

Prince: back in the old groove

Prince told reporters: "I will now go back to using my name, instead of the symbol I have adopted as a means to free myself from all undesirable relationships."

The 41-year-old, sporting auburn-tinted hair and dressed in a white turtleneck sweater, seemed at ease with himself, declaring: "I'm in a really great mood right now."

One journalist interrupted his flow, addressing him as 'Prince', and the star retorted "Hi, Prince. That sounds great. I haven't heard that in a while."

He explained that the symbol was used during his "warrior mode", when he was battling Warner Bros over the rights to his music.

Twisting a quote from the film Forrest Gump he said: "A royalty cheque is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you are going to get.

"The price of CDs has sky-rocketed, while the quality of music has plummeted."

Website

This had, he said, prompted him to set up a website to sell his own music, with a new song - Cybersingle - and a modified version of his last album being made available over the internet.

If the cap fits - Prince has returned to his roots

"The problem is not a complex one and the solution is simple," Prince reasoned. "Let the baker make the bread."

He announced that he was planning a week-long celebration in his hometown of Minneapolis to celebrate his new-found 'freedom' and was going to tour in the summer.

Prince, who dismissed suggestions that he was "weird", added: "I won't have to change my name ever again, because I won't be under a restrictive long-term contract again."