The Little-Known Family Member Meghan Markle Is Incredibly Close With

Netflix's highly-anticipated docu-series, "Harry & Meghan," has plenty to say about the famous couple that royal fans have never heard before. It's safe to say that most of us know quite a bit about Prince Harry's family and childhood, seeing that he comes from one of the world's most famous families and grew up in the spotlight. As for Meghan Markle, though, there's a lot that the public doesn't know about her childhood. The Netflix series delves much deeper into her past and shows viewers how Meghan's childhood impacts the royal couple's relationship with Prince Harry's family.

In the series' third episode, Meghan talks a bit about her own family, and she discusses the drama that unfolded with her estranged half-sister, Samantha Markle. Samantha took to the media when Meghan joined the royal family, even releasing a book titled "The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister" (via Insider). 

According to Meghan, it was surprising seeing a relative that she didn't know very well using her fame to badmouth her. The duchess says, "Suddenly it felt like she was everywhere. I don't know your middle name, I don't know your birthday. You're telling these people that you raised me, and you've coined me 'Princess pushy?'" While Meghan never had a close relationship with Samantha, though, she still managed to be very close to Samantha's daughter, Ashleigh.

Meghan Markle's niece, Ashleigh Hale, had wonderful things to say about her famous aunt during her Netflix interview, saying "There's a sister element, there's something maternal, she's a best friend, she's kinda all the things." It seems the feelings are mutual, as Meghan added, "I wanted a sister, and she was like a little sister. Ash was put through quite a bit by the media just through association. I didn't want her life to be plagued with all that drama."

It's understandable that Meghan wouldn't want her loved ones to endure media scrutiny as a result of her celeb status. Even so, it managed to have an affect on her relationship with Ashleigh. As a result of Samantha's behavior in the public eye, she was not invited to Harry and Meghan's royal nuptials, and the royal family felt it best that Ashleigh wasn't in attendance, either. Meghan recalls the question posed by their PR team, "How do we explain that this half-sister isn't invited to the wedding but the half-sister's daughter is?" She then recounts calling Ashleigh with Harry, "We had her on speakerphone and we talked her through what guidance we were being given and why this assessment was being made and ... and that's painful." While Ashleigh was also hurt by the decision, it's clear that the aunt and niece duo has gotten past the family drama and remain some of each other's closest confidantes.