Liam Payne's links with the Royal Family from Kate Middleton to the Queen

As the world mourns the loss of former One Direction star Liam Payne, fans have been sharing memories of the singer - including his links with the Royal Family

The world is in mourning following the death of former One Direction star Liam Payne. Fans of the beloved singer have been sharing touching memories and reflecting on his impactful legacy since the news broke that he had died at the age of 31.

Liam tragically lost his life on Wednesday October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he was vacationing with his girlfriend. Amidst the sorrow, fans have also been recounting heartwarming anecdotes that illustrate the vibrant life Liam led in the limelight, including his encounters with British royalty during his music career.

Notably, Liam and his One Direction bandmates met Prince William and Kate Middleton at the Royal Variety Performance on Nov. 13, 2014.

At that event, pregnant with Princess Charlotte, Kate caught the eye of the young musicians, leading Harry Styles to comment, "congratulations on the bump ... [though] she didn't look bumpy," as reported by Newsweek.

The following year, on November 13, coinciding with the release of One Direction's final album 'Made in the A.M. ', the group once again mingled with the royals, this time meeting Prince Harry, reports the Mirror.

PEOPLE reports that the prince shared a lively banter with Harry Styles, humorously inquiring, "When was the last time you had a hair cut? " To which Styles responded, affirming his charitable intentions by saying, "at some point I'll be cutting it [his hair] for charity."

The friendly back-and-forth didn’t seem to faze Liam, who looked on smiling and attentively listened, appearing perfectly at ease while mingling with royalty once more. However, contrast this with 2017 when Liam found himself quite spellbound by the late Queen Elizabeth during a Queen's Young Leaders reception at Buckingham Palace.

Recognising young community leaders' efforts, Liam attended solo this time and although he bumped into Prince Harry again, it was his encounter with Her Majesty that truly struck him.

Following the prestigious event, he expressed his reverence on social media: "An absolute honour to meet the Queen today on such a fantastic occasion. Privileged to share the room with such inspirational @queensyoungleaders, hear their stories and how they are helping to rebuild and preserve a sometimes broken world," Payne penned online.

Moving to 2018, Liam had yet another opportunity to meet the Queen at the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey on March 12. The singer was also deeply moved by the death of a monarch in September 2022, and three months later, he shared a 4ft oil painting in tribute to her that had taken over 50 hours to create, as reported by the Independent.

Tragically, Liam died on Wednesday afternoon after falling several stories at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires.

Before emergency services arrived, the hotel receptionist called 911 due to concerns about his erratic behaviour and suspicion that he might have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The receptionist urgently requested help fearing he might harm himself.

Sadly, he was pronounced dead at the scene after falling from his hotel room balcony. A preliminary autopsy conducted on Thursday October 17 revealed that he died from multiple injuries and "internal and external" haemorrhages caused by the fall.

The prosecutor's office handling the case stated that a toxicology report is still pending.

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