This is so sweet. In an exclusive new interview with Closer Weekly, royal historian Phil Dampier has revealed Princess Diana would be “absolutely delighted” about her son Prince Harry’s engagement to actress Meghan Markle. “I’m sure Diana would be absolutely delighted about Harry marrying Meghan. Diana would be so happy that Harry has married for love and no other reason. She would always have encouraged Harry to follow his heart and that’s what he’s done,” Dampier said.

“She would also be overjoyed that Meghan is a caring humanitarian who is going to get stuck into good causes, many of them dear to Diana’s heart,” Dampier — who recently published his eighth book, Diana – I’m Going to Be Me — told Closer, adding, “It’s incredible, and rather sad, that Meghan is 36, the age Diana was when she died.”

prince william kate middleton prince harry meghan markle getty images

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

During his official engagement interview with Meghan, Harry, 33, similarly opened up about his late mother and said he believes Diana and Meghan would be “best friends” today. “Oh they’d be thick as thieves, without question, I think she would be over the moon, jumping up and down, you know, so excited for me, but then, as I said, would have probably been best friends — best friends with Meghan. It’s days like these when I really miss having her around and miss being able to share the happy news. But you know, with the ring and with everything else that’s going on, I’m sure she’s jumping up and down somewhere,” Harry continued, as Meghan added, “She’s with us.”

Harry popped the question to Meghan at the couple’s Nottingham Cottage home at Kensington Palace in November 2017. The Suits star’s engagement ring — which Harry designed himself! — is white gold with a large diamond sourced from Botswana and two smaller diamonds from Diana’s personal collection. “I would estimate Meghan’s ring to be roughly a 2.5 to 3-carat cushion cut diamond,” celebrity jeweler George Khalife, aka “George the Jeweler,” told Life & Style. “I would say the ring is valued at roughly $60,000, with the two side stones having belonged to Princess Diana, and the main stone coming from Botswana, a country close to Prince Harry’s heart.”

In a previous interview, Princess Diana’s former bodyguard Ken Wharfe also revealed “The People’s Princess” would have adored Meghan and Prince William’s wife, Kate Middleton. “She was the sort of mother who [would think], ‘If that’s what my son wants, it’s not really for me to make judgments whether that person is right or wrong.’ And she would have assumed they’d made the right judgment, therefore you can guarantee Diana’s love and support,” Ken recently told Now to Love.

Ken further claimed Diana would have been impressed with both William and Harry refusing to let [the royal family] influence their choice in partners. “William and [Kate] are clearly unlike any other royal marriage, it’s a relationship that William found himself. No one introduced them, they met at university,” the 68-year-old said. “By complete contrast, you have Harry here — the Prince that never will be King — off in a totally different direction and… in love with an American [TV] star. You couldn’t write this!”

princess diana, prince william and prince harry

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

“It’s all part of this program of the modernization of the royal family in the 21st century. Diana would have said, ‘Look, this is what my son wants and it works for him and he’s happy. Crikey, that’s what I tried in my life!’ She had a modernistic approach to life, and for that reason, would have supported them,” he continued.

Join our Facebook group for the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Prince William, and all things royal!