Meghan Markle is unfortunately not related to her half-sister Samantha Markle, but she has a strong bond with Samantha's own daughter Ashley Hale.

Hale's appearance on Netflix's Harry & Meghan was one of the biggest surprises in the first three episodes. Until now, the Duchess of Sussex has apparently been trying to keep her niece, an immigration lawyer, a bit more out of the media spotlight.

Appearing in the documentary, Hale explained that she had lived with her paternal grandparents since the age of two and was adopted by them, along with her brother; she never saw Samantha after the age of six, but reestablished contact with her around 2007.

It was at this time that Megan expressed a desire to get in touch with Hale, and the two began chatting via e-mail. Eventually the two began to meet regularly.

They went on vacations and adventures together and have maintained a relationship ever since. Hale says, "I think she plays a lot of roles for me. There's a sisterly element, there's a motherly element, she's my best friend, she's a combination of everything."

As for Princess Meghan, "I think we both craved the same thing. I wanted a sister and she was like a sister."

"Ash was given quite a hard time by the media just to be associated. I didn't want her life to be plagued with that kind of drama."

Hale also recalled that Samantha seemed to express resentment toward Meghan when she met Prince Harry.

Significantly, Meghan was told that she should not invite Hale to the 2018 royal wedding.

Both women spoke at the time about how difficult the episode was, but it ultimately had no negative impact on their relationship because Hale understood the situation. Of course, her appearance on "Harry & Meghan" proves that there is no bad blood.