Meghan Markle and Princess Diana have never met. But Prince Harry knew in his gut early on that if they did, they would be thick at thieves.

According to previous reports, Markle is also a huge fan of the Princess of Wales. In fact, she also mourned the royal’s death while watching footage of Princess Diana’s funeral on television.

In the book Battle of Brothers, author Robert Lacey talked about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s relationship. He said that Prince Harry and Markle had an instant connection.

It didn’t also take Prince Harry very long to realize that Markle shares a lot of similarities with his late mother.

“Already Harry could sense in Meghan the quirks and originalities that made her such a similar character to Diana. She was a changer not a conformist, who fought her battles with the same non-royal - indeed, those temptingly anti-royal - qualities of his mother,” he said.

Other than this, Markle and Princess Diana also grew up in broken homes. Princess Diana’s parents, reportedly, divorced when she was just 6 years old. Markle’s parents, Doria Ragland and Thomas Markle Sr. divorced when she was just a toddler.

Markle and Princess Diana are also passionate when it comes to humanitarian work. And they are also actively involved with the causes that are close to their hearts.

According to royal author Andrew Morton, the two women both have the desire to give back and make a difference in the world.

“By the time they got into their 30s, Meghan and Diana were independent humanitarians with a vision and it strikes me that Diana died at 36 and Meghan’s coming into the family at 36. There’s a sense that Meghan is picking up the baton dropped by Diana,” he said.

While Markle and Princess Diana’s fashion sense is different, they are similar in a way that they can set trends. Shortly after Markle and Prince Harry tied the knot, anything that Markle wore became sold out.

As for the Princess of Wales, some of her clothes continue to inspire the outfits of Kate Middleton.

Another similarity between Princess Diana and Markle is their involvement in some of the biggest scandals in the royal family. For instance, Princess Diana’s marriage fell apart because of Prince Charles and Camilla’s affair. Her death also rocked the nation.

Markle, on the other hand, shocked the world with her decision to quit alongside Prince Harry. And she has also filed a slew of lawsuits and had a very public spat with her dad.