Prince William 'understands' how Prince Harry had to defend his girlfriend Meghan Markle against the public

Earlier this month, Prince Harry released an official statement via Kensington Palace that requested the public give his girlfriend, Meghan Markle, some space. Various news outlets then reported that Prince William was not pleased with his younger brother’s unprecedented statement -- which the older royal has now disputed.

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William just released his own statement through Kensington Palace, which indicated his understanding of Harry’s actions. “The Duke of Cambridge absolutely understands the situation concerning privacy and supports the need for Prince Harry to support those closest to him,” it read.

And while this simple release should put all previous rumors to rest, a royal source spoke with The Telegraph to discuss it further. They explained that neither William nor Harry release statements to the public without first speaking to each other. “They talked about the Meghan Markle statement extensively in advance of it being put out,” the source said. “No one wanted to have to put that statement out, including Prince Harry, and there was concern about confirming the relationship. But over the course of one weekend things escalated to the extent that Prince Harry felt he had to act.”

William himself has never issued a statement regarding his love life, except when he started to date Kate Middleton. And even then, the release from Kensington Palace was simply a denial that he was dating Jecca Craig. Nevertheless, the public’s treatment of Meghan was simply too much for Harry to not say anything.

“Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her. It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm,” the statement said. “He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game.’ He strongly disagrees. This is not a game -- it is her life and his. “

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Harry and Meghan had reportedly been dating for a while when the statement was issued on Nov. 8. The two met during the Invictus Games in Toronto in June, which was headed by the royal.