How Meghan And Harry's Trip To New York Has A Subtle Connection To Princess Diana

In their first public trip since moving to California, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are living it up in New York City for Global Citizen Live. The event on Central Park's Great Lawn aims to help "defend the planet and defeat poverty" (from Global Citizen). And the Sussexes are attending to continue their advocacy for vaccine equity, for which Global Citizen Live called them "two of the strongest voices." That isn't all they're doing on their trip. On the first full day in NYC, they took a tour of the World Trade Center and met with Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Governor Kathy Hochel in the One World Observatory (via Glamour).

Upon arrival, they checked into The Carlyle Hotel (from Page Six). It's a luxurious landmark, originally built in 1930, and close to Central Park (from Rosewood Hotels). But they may not have chosen the hotel just for its proximity to the Global Citizen Live event they'll be attending. It was also the favorite New York City hotel of Prince Harry's mother, Princess Diana (via Page Six).

The appeal of The Carlyle Hotel for Princess Diana was probably not just its opulence, but its absolute dedication to privacy for its guests. The New York Times called it a "palace of secrets," so it must have felt like a safe space for her. And there are apparently two staff members per guest, so the service must be pretty fantastic (via The New York Times).

Diana first visited New York City in 1989 for an official solo tour because her patronage, the Welsh Opera, would be playing at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's inaugural performance (via Town & Country). If you've watched Season 4 of "The Crown," Diana's trip is a storyline in the season finale, and her visits to underprivileged areas, including the AIDS unit at Harlem Hospital, established her as the "people's princess" (via Beneath The Crown). She continued to come back to the city, and to stay at The Carlyle, in a non-royal capacity to see friends and attend events (from Town & Country).

Other royals have stayed at The Carlyle, according to Rosewood Hotels, including Prince William and Kate Middleton, as well as the kings and queens of Sweden, Greece, Denmark, and Spain.