When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were at their lowest point, stuck in Canada while their rift with the royal family grew deeper by the day, it was Hollywood star Tyler Perry who came to their rescue.
Despite having never met Meghan in real life, he sent her a message ahead of her royal wedding explaining that he knew what she was letting herself in for - and offering his help if ever she needed it.
Meghan didn't take him up on the offer for years, but decided to reach out to him when the couple were in Canada.
Opening up about the call in the Netflix show Harry & Meghan, she said: "That’s where Tyler came into the picture. I’d never met him before. He sent me a letter before the wedding just saying he was praying for me.
"And that if I ever need anything, he would be there. Months and months and months went by. And then one day when we were in Canada, I had called him.
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"Finally, after years at that point, first time we ever spoke, and I was just a wreck. I was just crying and crying. Sometimes it’s easier to just open up to someone who knows nothing at all. And that was that moment with me and Tyler.”
Tyler then did something incredible, offering the couple and their young son Archie one of his homes - a huge mansion in LA - as a temporary safe place to stay while they worked out their next steps.
The family ended up spending most of 2020 there due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw them in lockdown like the rest of the world.
The stunning mansion was very different to the small Kensington Palace cottage which they called home in the UK. Built in 2012, the 24,500 square-foot house is the definition of luxury, with marble archways, large chandeliers and several terraces boasting breathtaking views.
But towards the end of the year and after much searching, the couple found their dream family home and it was time to pack their bags yet again.
As they settled into their new mansion and started making memories, they received a housewarming present from Tyler - along with a very sweet request.
In her interview with The Cut, Meghan revealed he gifted them a massive grand piano, which now sits in pride of place in their living room, and asked them to "write the soundtrack to their lives".
Meghan and Harry asked Tyler to be their daughter Princess Lilibet's godfather to thank him for their help.
Recalling the phone call in which they asked him in the Netflix show, Tyler said he could tell it was an important call as the could were being "pretty serious".
He recalls: "I go, ‘Whoa.’ I had to take a minute to take that in. And I thought, ‘I’d be honoured. I’d be absolutely honoured.’"
The call ended but when he thought about it a bit more he had concerns so called the couple back to discuss it with them.
He said: "I called them back. I go ‘Uh, hold on a second. Does this mean we got to go over there and do all of that in the church with them and figure all that out? 'Cause I don’t want to do that. Maybe we can do a little private ceremony here and let that be that, and if you have to do it there, then it’s okay.’"
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