Prince William has shown his support for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship.
Prince William and Prince Harry
The 34-year-old royal fully respects his younger sibling asking for privacy because he feels hasn't been able to protect the 'Suits' star, who he has been dating for six months, from the online trolls she has faced since the couple's romance was made public.
A spokesperson told The Telegraph newspaper: "The Duke of Cambridge absolutely understands the situation concerning privacy and supports the need for Prince Harry to support those closest to him."
A source also told the publication that Harry, 32, would have consulted William and the rest of the royal family before releasing his statement on privacy and the intrusion of press.
The insider said: "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 Duke was as alarmed as anyone about what was happening with Meghan."
It comes after reports that William was "deeply unhappy" with his brother's statement.
Harry's statement published via Kensington Palace read: "His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public ... the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.
"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. 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."
Tagged in Prince Harry Prince William Meghan Markle