Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding had echoes of Princess Diana running all the way through it, from the Forget-me-nots in the bouquet to the reading from Diana’s sister….

Today marks what would have been Princess Diana‘s 64th birthday.

Prince Harry was just 12 years old when his mother tragically died in a car accident in August 1997, aged 36.

The prince has spoken openly about the pain of losing his mother at such a young age, saying grief can ‘eat away at you inside’. 

Since her death, Harry has worked to continue her legacy with his brother, Prince William, by supporting her charities and hosting the Concert for Diana.

Harry has compared his wife, Meghan Markle, to his late mother, and even introduced Meghan to Diana’s sisters in the hope they would see similarities. 

In a 20-minute interview with BBC presenter Mishal Husain, Harry was clear about how his mother would have responded to her American daughter-in-law.

‘They’d be thick as thieves, without question,’ he said. 

‘I think she would be over the moon, jumping up and down – you know, so excited for me.’

In the 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, the prince said: ‘So much of what Meghan is and how she is, is so similar to my mum. 

‘She has the same compassion, the same empathy, the same confidence. She has this warmth about her.’

His wedding day in May 2018 featured nods to his late mother, as noted by royal biographer Tina Brown in her book, The Palace Papers.

She wrote: ‘There were multiple references to the presiding presence of Harry’s mother in the commentary, from her favourite Forget-me-nots in the bride’s bouquets to the eerily similar voice of her elder sister Lady Jane Fellowes reading from the Song of Solomon from the pulpit.’

When guests walked into St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, they were greeted by an elaborate archway of white peonies and garden roses, Diana’s favourite flowers.

These flowers were planted in Kensington Palace’s White Garden as a tribute to Diana in 2017, on the 20th anniversary of her death. 

The princess’s beloved butler, Paul Burrell, previously predicted that the flowers would be incorporated in the wedding in some way.

‘I bet you that Meghan will carry white roses and white peonies because white roses were Diana’s favourite,’ Burrell told Extra TV before the wedding. 

For the wedding bouquet, the Sussexes chose to remember Diana by picking some of her favourite flowers to use in her wedding bouquet. 

In a statement from Kensington Palace on the day of the wedding, the royal household explained that it was important to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to recognise Diana in this way. 

‘Prince Harry hand-picked several flowers yesterday from their private garden at Kensington Palace to add to the bespoke bridal bouquet designed by florist Philippa Craddock,’ the statement read.

‘The spring blooms include Forget-me-nots which were Diana’s favourite flower. 

‘The couple specifically chose them to be included in Ms. Markle’s bouquet to honour the memory of the late Princess on this special day.’

Forget-me-not is also the meaning behind Sentebale, the charity set up by Harry in 2005 to help disadvantaged children in the southern African kingdom of Lesotho – in an echo of his mother’s charitable work. 

The Palace made a point of confirming that Harry was ‘keen to involve his mother’s family in his wedding’ by inviting all three of Diana’s siblings.

The late royal’s sister Baroness Fellowes gave the only reading of the service, the eighth chapter of the Song of Solomon. 

Before the wedding Kensington Palace said: ‘Prince Harry and Ms. Markle both feel honoured that Lady Jane will be representing her family and helping to celebrate the memory of the late Princess on the wedding day.’ 

Harry appeared to choke up during the singing of Guide Me, O Thy Great Redeemer, a hymn which was also sung at Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997 and was one of the late royal’s favourites.

Harry included Elton in his own wedding in a happier manner by surprising guests at his lunchtime reception by asking: ‘Does anyone here know how to play the piano?’ – before Sir Elton John got up and played.

The star serenaded 600 guests with four of his tunes including Your Song, Tiny Dancer, Circle of Life and I’m Still Standing.

Elton, who attended the wedding with his husband David Furnish has maintained close links with William and Harry and also attended the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Westminster Abbey in 2011.

Raising awareness of HIV and Aids was one of the most important elements of Diana’s charity work when she was alive.

Harry and Meghan decided to use their wedding to continue her work by nominating the Children’s HIV Association as one of the charities for guests to donate to.

The couple asked for people to make a contribution to one of seven charities instead of giving them presents.

Meghan’s engagement ring, dominated by a conflict-free diamond from Botswana, the country where they fell in love, included small diamonds from Diana’s jewellery collection so that Harry’s late mother would be there to ‘join us on this crazy journey’.

The Duchess paid a touching tribute to Diana by wearing her aquamarine ring at their evening party at Frogmore House.

The Duchess of Sussex wore the ring on her right hand as the pair travelled in a silver blue Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero to the English country house.

Diana wrote a special ‘letter of wishes’ in which she promised her jewellery to her sons with the intention of them sharing it with their future wives.

The Princess of Wales first wore the ring in 1996 during a trip to Australia.

Brown wrote: ‘But perhaps the most powerful Diana echo was from the days after her death when strangers of every race, creed and colour embraced one another in the weeping crowds outside Buckingham Palace.’

Both events were significant both in the UK and globally.

The Sussexes’ wedding drew a massive global audience, with an estimated 1.9billion people tuning in.

It was a spectacle, celebrated with a lavish ceremony in Windsor, attracting hundreds of thousands of people to the streets and grounds of Windsor Castle. 

Diana’s funeral was watched by an estimated 2.5billion people worldwide on September 6, 1997, including 32.1million people in the UK, making it one of the biggest televised events in history.

For Harry, it was incredibly important for Diana to play a part in his big day – despite her not being there physically.

On Diana’s birthday, Harry will remember his mother and the huge impact she had on his life – even after her death.