William Denies Report That He Disapproved Of Harry's Statement About Meghan Markle 

Prince William is putting rumors that he was unhappy with Prince Harry‘s decision to release a statement confirming his relationship with Meghan Markle to rest.

published an article earlier this week claiming William was concerned that his “hot-headed” brother’s statement “served to fuel speculation” about how serious he is about the

“The Duke of Cambridge absolutely understands the situation concerning privacy and supports the need for Prince Harry to support those closest to him,” Kensington Palace told the British newspaper.

said Prince William, 34, thought the statement confirming the romance rumors was “a mistake,” a source close to the royal family told the 

“They don’t issue statements like that without talking to each other, and they talked about the Meghan Markle statement extensively in advance of it being put out,” the insider told the outlet.

The source continued, “The Duke was as alarmed as anyone about what was happening with Meghan. 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.”

Harry’s rare statement was released by Kensington Palace early this month after Markle, 35, received a slew of negative attention online and in British tabloids.

“Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment,” the palace said in the statement, confirming the relationship publicly just weeks after rumors first popped up. “Some of this has been very public — the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments. Some of it has been hidden from the public — the nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers; her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home and the calls to police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her ex-boyfriend; the bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker, and loved one in her life.”

The statement ended with Harry pleading with the press and public to respect Markle’s privacy and safety.

Despite all the drama, Markle has hopes for a future together. A friend previously told PEOPLE the American actress is “head over heels” for the royal and “doing everything she can to make the relationship work.”

“It’s been an absolute fairy tale for Meghan,” the insider says.

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