Long before she married Prince Harry, Meghan Markle watched Princess Diana‘s funeral on television just like millions of others around the world following her death in 1997. The future Duchess of Sussex was only 16 at the time of Diana’s death, and according to one royal expert, she shed many “tears” for the boy who would one day grow up to be her husband.

At the time of Princess Diana’s death in 1997, Prince Harry was only 12 years old. The young Duke of Sussex attended his mother’s funeral as the whole world grieved with him—but little did he know that his future wife and the mother of his children was among these onlookers, watching on from thousands of miles away in California. According to a new article in the Mail on Sunday, royal biographer Andrew Morton claims that Meghan and her friends all watched the broadcast of Princess Diana’s funeral. But it was Meghan who was especially moved by Prince Harry’s final note to his mother.

“Tears coursed down the cheeks of 16-year-old Meghan Markle and her friends as they watched the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, and never more so than at the poignant moment when the cameras zoomed in on the Royal coffin,” Morton writes in the Daily Mail. The former royal correspondent, who authored the famous 1992 biography on the Princess of Wales, Diana: Her True Story, went on to reveal the last message Prince Harry left on his mother’s casket. “There, perched among the white flowers, was an envelope on which was written the one word, ‘Mummy’—Prince Harry’s last note to the mother who had now gone forever.”

Morton suggested that Meghan grew more interested in the Princess of Wales life after her death, writing, “Meghan was intrigued not just by her style but by Diana’s independent humanitarian mission.” The biographer even claims that the future duchess was gifted a copy of his 1992 book about Diana by the mother of one of her friends.

While she never did get to meet her future mother-in-law, Morton claims that her influence has always been evident in Meghan’s life—especially when it comes to her marriage with Harry. “As the Sussexes embarked on their own journey together through Royal life, not a day went by without a reference, a memory or a decision that related in some way to Harry’s late mother,” the royal expert writes. “Diana was the third wheel in their marriage.”

Diana: Her True Story — In Her Own Words

Image: Courtesy of Thorndike Press.

For more about Princess Diana, read Andrew Morton’s biography, Diana: Her True Story — In Her Words. The New York Times bestseller, which was first published in 1992, is the only authorized biography about Princess Diana. The book, which Diana collaborated on, includes raw and unfiltered quotes from the Princess of Wales about her unhappy marriage to Prince Charles, her relationship with Queen Elizabeth II, her life in the House of Windsor, and her hopes, dreams and fears for her children, Prince William and Prince Harry, before her death in 1997. The biography, which has been described as the “closest we will ever come” to a Princess Diana autobiography, was republished with new material in 2017 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the People’s Princess’ death.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.