Princess Diana would have been best friends with Meghan Markle and jumping up and down in excitement at news of the royal engagement, Prince Harry says.
The Prince paid a poignant tribute to his late mother, proposing to his American actress girlfriend Ms Markle with a ring made from diamonds from Diana's personal collection.
Harry said he made the gesture because he wanted the princess, who died in a car crash in 1997, to be part of his and Markle's ''crazy journey together''.
He spoke of how much he missed his mother, saying: ''It is days like today 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 with us, you know, jumping up and down somewhere else.''
Markle echoed his thoughts saying: "She's with us."
The bride-to-be's engagement ring features two diamonds from Diana's personal collection, and a stone from one of their favourite places, Botswana.
''The ring is, is obviously yellow gold because that's her favourite, and the main stone itself I sourced from Botswana, and the little diamonds either side are from my mother's jewellery collection, to make sure that she's with us on this crazy journey together.''
Markle said: "Not being able to meet his mum, it's so important to me to know that she's a part of this with us."
She revealed she had met Diana's sisters and the princess's close friend Julia Samuel.
''I'm able to, in some way, know a part of her through them, and of course through him,'' she said.
Asked what his mother would have thought of Ms Markle, Harry replied: ''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."
