Who's Invited? Ashleigh Hale's Wedding Guest List Explored

Ashleigh Hale, an immigration attorney, is the daughter of Samantha Markle, Meghan Markle's estranged half-sister. Hale and Markle developed a close relationship after reconnecting in 2007, travelling together and speaking several times a week. However, Hale was not invited to Markle's wedding to Prince Harry, which she described as painful. Markle explained that this was due to tensions between herself and Samantha Markle, and the difficulty in explaining why she was invited when her mother was not.

Ashleigh Hale's relationship with Meghan Markle

Ashleigh Hale is the daughter of Meghan Markle's half-sister, Samantha Markle. Hale was raised by her paternal grandparents, who adopted her and her brother when she was two years old. She is an immigration lawyer and associate at Fragomen in San Francisco.

Hale and Markle's relationship began later in life. After Hale and her mother, Samantha, reconnected in 2007, Markle asked her father for Hale's email address. The aunt and niece quickly ""hit it off", texting and calling each other several days a week and going on vacations together. "I wanted a sister, and she was like a little sister," Markle said. "She takes on a lot of roles for me," Hale said of her aunt. "There's a sister element, there's something maternal. She's a best friend. She's kind of all the things."

However, their relationship was impacted by Markle's strained relationship with Samantha, who was publicly speaking about Markle in a negative light to the press. Hale was not invited to Markle's wedding to Prince Harry in 2018, which she said was "painful". "How do we explain that this half-sister isn't invited to the wedding, but that the half-sister's daughter is?" Markle said, explaining the "guidance" she received from the palace's communications team. "I think I said I was hurt on some level but I understood where it was coming from," Hale said. "To know that it was because of my biological mother that this relationship that's so important to me was impacted in that way. To feel like because of her, it was taken away, has been hard."

Hale and Markle have since reconnected, and their relationship is positive.

Why Ashleigh Hale wasn't invited to the wedding

Ashleigh Hale, Meghan Markle's niece, was not invited to the royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Markle and Hale had a close bond, with Markle describing Hale as a "little sister". However, the decision not to invite Hale was influenced by the strained relationship between Markle and Hale's mother, Samantha Markle, who is Markle's half-sister.

In the lead-up to the wedding, Markle and Prince Harry's press team at Kensington Palace advised the couple against inviting Hale. They faced a dilemma: how to explain that Samantha Markle was not invited, but her daughter was. As a result, Markle called Hale and explained the situation, describing the conversation as "painful".

Hale, an immigration attorney, expressed that she was hurt by the decision but understood where it was coming from. She acknowledged the impact of her biological mother's actions on her relationship with Markle and felt that it was "taken away" because of her.

The decision not to invite Hale to the wedding was a challenging one, considering the close bond between Markle and Hale. However, the potential media scrutiny and family dynamics influenced the final guest list.

The impact of her mother, Samantha Markle, on the wedding

Samantha Markle's actions had a significant impact on her daughter Ashleigh Hale's attendance at Meghan Markle's wedding to Prince Harry. Meghan and Samantha have been estranged for years, and likewise, Ashleigh revealed that she doesn't speak to her mother, Samantha, and was raised by her paternal grandparents. Samantha was vocal about her criticism of Meghan and publicly criticized the Duchess after she was linked to the British royal family and Prince Harry. Meghan and Prince Harry were warned not to invite Samantha to their wedding by her ex-husband, Scott Rasmussen, who described Samantha as "fame-hungry" and "jealous" of Meghan.

Samantha's actions and behavior ultimately led to the decision not to invite her daughter, Ashleigh, to the wedding. Meghan shared that she received guidance from the palace press team, who advised her not to invite Ashleigh to the wedding because it would be challenging to explain why Samantha wasn't invited. Meghan revealed that it was a painful conversation to have with Ashleigh and explained the reasons behind the decision. Ashleigh expressed that she was hurt by the decision but understood where it was coming from. She also shared that she stopped talking to her mother altogether due to the negative comments Samantha made about Meghan.

Ashleigh Hale's career and education

Ashleigh Hale is an immigration attorney and the daughter of Samantha Markle, Meghan Markle's estranged half-sister. Hale was raised by her paternal grandparents, who formally adopted her and her brother. She considers them to be her parents.

Hale studied international studies and French at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, graduating in 2007. She then went on to obtain a Juris Doctor from Charleston School of Law in 2010 and a Master of Laws from George Washington University Law School in 2011.

She has worked at Sumner Immigration Law and Capital One. As of 2022, she is an associate at Fragomen in San Francisco.

Her relationship with her mother, Samantha Markle

Ashleigh Hale is the daughter of Samantha Markle, Meghan Markle's estranged half-sister. Hale was raised by her paternal grandparents and has been estranged from her biological mother since she was six years old.

Hale and Markle reconnected in 2007, and the two quickly formed a close bond. They travelled together, including to New Orleans, and spoke several times a week. Markle said she craved a sister and that Hale was like a little sister to her.

However, when it came to Markle's wedding to Prince Harry, Hale was not invited due to the frosty relationship between Markle and Samantha Markle. Markle said:

> "How do we explain that this half-sister isn't invited to the wedding, but that the half-sister's daughter is?"

Markle added that she was guided by the palace's communication team, who said it would be difficult to explain the absence of Samantha Markle but not her daughter.

Hale said she was hurt by the decision but understood where it came from. She said:

> "To know that it was because of my biological mother that this relationship that's so important to me was impacted in that way... To feel like because of her, it was taken away, has been hard."

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