Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding guest list may not have included the Duchess' niece, but the royal did manage to attend Ashleigh Hale's nuptials with Matthew Friedman.
As part of their Harry & Meghan Netflix docuseries, the former Suits actress discussed reconnecting with her half-sister Samantha's daughter, who was raised by her grandparents. Speaking about building their strong relationship, Ashleigh gushed: "I think she takes on a lot of roles for me – there's a sister element, there's something maternal, she's a best friend, she's all the things."
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During the voice-over, the Netflix show shared photos of Meghan and her lookalike niece together, including two of Ashleigh's wedding day. In the first, the Duchess could be seen applying the finishing touches to Ashleigh's bridal makeup, with the bride-to-be rocking a casual shirt with her dark hair styled into an intricate low bun.
In the next snap, Ashleigh sported glowing makeup and wore a strapless wedding dress with a sweetheart neckline and full skirt, with one hand holding her white bouquet and the other around Meghan's waist.
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Ashleigh emotionally opened up about her relationship with Meghan
The royal rocked noticeably shorter, auburn hair compared to her current locks, and she proved her long-standing love of muted tones by wearing a cream chiffon dress with semi-sheer balloon sleeves and a V-neck. It's an unwritten rule that cream and white are not worn at weddings to prevent upstaging the bride, but they have become much more common, with some brides – including royals – even choosing white bridesmaid dresses.
Ashleigh was later moved to tears as she spoke about being "hurt on some level" that she was banned from the royal wedding in 2018 under palace guidance, due to the fact her estranged mother Samantha wasn't invited.
The Duchess of Sussex claimed that she was advised not to invite her niece to her 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.
Meghan also relived the "painful" 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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