Prince William Is 'Very Protective of Kate' Following Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Interview

People
·3 min read
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Prince William is supporting wife Kate Middleton in the wake of brother Prince Harry and sister-in-law Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey.

During the couple's sit-down, Meghan addressed reports that she made Kate cry over a disagreement regarding bridesmaid dresses for Meghan and Harry's wedding.

"The reverse happened," Meghan told Oprah, revealing that Meghan was the one who cried. (A source told PEOPLE that both women were in tears over the incident.)

"William is very protective of Kate and can get very angry," says Penny Junor, a respected biographer of both Prince William and Prince Harry, tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story. "For Meghan to name Kate in a negative light is worse than being attacked himself."

RELATED: The Biggest Bombshells from Meghan and Harry's Oprah Interview

In the interview, Meghan, 39, clarified that Kate, 39, later apologized.

"And I don't say that to be disparaging to anyone, because it was a really hard week of the wedding, and she was upset about something," Meghan said. "But she owned it, and she apologized and she brought me flowers and a note apologizing."

Stephen Pond/Getty Images Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle

As the royals and their staffs digested the various claims and counter-claims in the wake of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's interview, there was "anger," a palace source told PEOPLE. "There were genuinely mixed emotions and deep sorrow and shock there too."

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Among many stunning revelations in the interview, Meghan said she had suicidal thoughts and made the incendiary claim that there were "concerns and conversations" about how dark her son Archie's skin might be when he was born. Harry also said that his father and brother are "trapped" within the monarchy.

RELATED: Meghan Markle Says Press Mistreatment of Kate Middleton Is 'Not the Same' as What She Faced

Phil Harris - WPA Pool/Getty Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

In additional clips released on CBS This Morning following the interview, Meghan compared her treatment by the British tabloids to Kate's early days in the royal family.

"This was different," Meghan said of how the press covered her. Oprah then asked, "Different because of the race?" to which Meghan responded, "And because of social media."

Meghan added, "Kate was called 'Waity Katie,' waiting to marry William. While I imagine that was really hard — and I do, I can't picture what that felt like — this is not the same," said Meghan, while explaining how negative coverage of Kate did not equate to what she faced. "And if a member of his family will comfortably say, 'We've all had to deal with some things that are rude,' rude and racist are not the same."

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Gayle King said on Tuesday's CBS This Morning that her friend Meghan can support all the claims she made in her revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey.

"Meghan has documents to back up everything that she said on Oprah's interview. Everything," King said.

King's statements echoed those of Meghan's friend Janina Gavankar, who told the British show This Morning last week that "there are many emails and texts" that support Meghan.