Meghan Markle's niece Ashleigh made a surprise appearance in the Harry & Meghan Netflix docuseries, and she was moved to tears as she spoke about why she was banned from the royal wedding in 2018.
"To know that because of my biological mother that this relationship that was so important to me was impacted in that way, to feel like because of her it was taken away, it's been hard," Ashleigh said, referring to the fact she was removed from the guestlist under palace guidance due to the fact her estranged mother Samantha Markle, Meghan's half-sister, wasn't invited.
WATCH: Meghan Markle's niece gets tearful when talking about missing the royal wedding
Meghan Markle relived the moment, saying: "How do we explain that this half-sister isn't invited to the wedding, but the half-sister's daughter is? And so, with Ashleigh, the guidance at the time was to not have her come to our wedding."
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Ashleigh is Meghan's niece, her half-sister Samantha Markle's daughter, and she explains that she was raised by her grandparents from the age of two. Ashleigh reconnected with her estranged mother, and that's when Meghan and Ashleigh started talking, via email and they grew close after that.
Meghan and her niece are close
Speaking about their close bond, Ashleigh said: "I think she takes on a lot of roles for me, there's like a sister element, there's something maternal, she's a best friend, she's kind of all the things."
Meghan's royal wedding was attended by her mother Doria Ragland, but no other family members.
The first three episodes of the docuseries aired on 8 December, with the final three due to drop on 15 December – the same day that the Princess of Wales will host her Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey. Kate will be joined at the festive event by her husband, Prince William, as well as King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, and other members of the royal family.
Doria was the only family member of Meghan's at her wedding
Prince Harry's long-awaited and "intimate" memoir Spare will also hit the shelves on 10 January 2023, and will provide a first-hand account of his experiences, adventures, losses and life lessons that have helped shape him.
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