It turns out Princess Diana was quite fond of Kevin Costner—both as an actor and as a person.

Kevin spoke with People this week after being named the publication’s No. 1 reason to love America. During the chat, he revealed that Prince William once requested a private introduction with him, and the first thing he did was share a secret about Princess Diana.

“I happened to be in England,” Kevin remembered. “And I got this message that the prince would love to talk, and I said, ‘What?’… So, I went, ‘Okay.’”

“I’ve never talked about this,” he continued. “But I can because of how I very much respect him. I think it’s a story worthwhile about him… We met in this room, and it was just us… He walked up, and we shook hands… The first line out of his mouth was, ‘You know, my mom kind of fancied you.’ “

Princess Diana was smitten with Kevin Costner after they began chatting about a possible sequel to The Bodyguard. Sarah Ferguson had introduced them, and Diana was interested in playing the leading lady.

“There was a moment that that was really flying down the tracks, very quietly, because it’s how I operate,” he said. “It was so sweet. Sarah was the one that set this up. Sarah was very cool… when she could have been going, ‘Well, I’m a princess too. What about me?’ She didn’t do that at all. Diana and I began to talk.”

Kevin Costner Was Impressed By Prince William

Kevin Costner didn’t share any further details about his relationship with the late princess, nor did he say what else he and Prince William spoke about. He noted that the rest of their conversation was private, and he had nothing but kind things to say about William.

The Oscar-winner said Prince William was “very sweet” and “quite a young man.” Meeting him was one of the highlights of his life.

“I’ve had such fond memories of who he was, how I was approached, and what we talked about,” he concluded.