Prince Harry was surprised when Prince William gave him permission to design Meghan Markle’s engagement ring using diamonds from Princess Diana’s jewelry collection.

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In a newly resurfaced excerpt from his memoir Spare, the Duke of Sussex, 40, shared never-before-heard details about his relationship with his brother. Prince Harry admitted that Prince William wasn’t very fond of Meghan Markle at first.

“He’d always been pretty discouraging about my even dating Meg,” he wrote. “One day, sitting together in his garden, he’d predicted a host of difficulties I could expect if I hooked up with an ‘American actress,’ a phrase he always managed to make sound like ‘convicted felon.’”

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Prince William thought Prince Harry was moving “too fast” in his relationship with Markle. However, William didn’t express any concern when Harry discussed the idea of proposing. The Duke of Sussex even asked for permission to repurpose a piece of Princess Diana’s jewelry for Markle’s engagement ring.

“I asked him to harvest the diamonds from one particularly beautiful bracelet of Mummy’s and use those to create a ring,” Prince Harry explained. “I’d cleared all this in advance with Willy. I’d asked my brother if I could have the bracelet, and told him what it was for. I don’t recall him hesitating, for one second, in giving it to me.”

The Duke of Sussex continued, “He seemed to like Meg, despite his oft-cited concerns. Kate seemed to like her too.”

Talk about mixed signals.