The sweet gift Prince Harry gave Meghan Markle before their relationship went public.

Days before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle went public with their relationship in late 2016, the royal bought his new girlfriend an incredibly sweet gift.

Well, that’s assuming that the “important person” Harry bought a love-themed piece of art for was indeed his future wife.

According to a local art collector who spoke to People magazine before the couple were engaged, the 33-year-old purchased a canvas piece by up-and-coming British artist Van Donna titled ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’ in October 2016.

“He was in the (VIP section in the Walton Fine Arts gallery in Kensington) for a little while and liked a few things, then settled on the Van Donna,” the art collector said.

“He said he was looking for something for ‘an important person’. It was literally just before anyone heard about Meghan — literally just days before it was announced he was going out with her.”

And there was another clue that this was a gift for Meghan and not his “granny” Queen Elizabeth or foreign dignitary he wanted to impress.

The artwork is a diptych, meaning two sides of a canvas form a single piece of artwork. The one Harry bought shows a boy and girl holding hands on one side, and the words ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’ in blue on the other.

So excited to have my print set ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’ up for show in St. John’s Wood @goodlifeeatery cafe! Thanks for choosing my artwork ???? #art #artistsoninstagram #instaart #streetart #print #love #goodlife #lovelife #color #happiness #artwork #arte #lovestory

A post shared by Van Donna (@vandonna_official) on Jun 13, 2018 at 5:23am PDT

The source explained Harry asked if the art could be split in two – which may have been so he could give one half to Meghan and keep the other.

“At the time nobody knew about Meghan Markle, but if it was for her then it’s a very romantic gesture.”

“It’s a bit like a charm bracelet — where you give half of it to someone you’re involved with and keep the other half yourself.”

It’s not known how much the painting cost the Duke of Sussex, but a similar piece sold for $7000 around the same time.

OMG! So excited that Harry has acquired my paintings for his collection! Yay!!! ????????

— Van Donna (@vandonnart) July 7, 2017

This wouldn’t be the last thoughtful gift Harry gave his now-wife.

On the way to their wedding reception, well-wishers spotted the Duchess of Sussex wearing an emerald-cut aquamarine ring that wasn’t there during their ceremony.

When royal watchers realised it was the same ring that belonged to Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, they concluded it was a touching wedding gift for his bride.