The Mystery Behind Meghan's Wedding Guest List

Meghan Markle's wedding to Prince Harry was one of the most high-profile events of the decade, with the press painting their union as a real-life fairytale. However, one point of contention was Meghan's decision not to invite most of her family members to the wedding. Meghan's extended family had been making headlines for embarrassing squabbles and regularly hurling insults at the bride-to-be. Despite this, some members of her family expected an invitation and were reportedly upset when they didn't receive one. Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, was in attendance and flew to England to meet the Queen, but the bride's father was notably absent, with Meghan issuing a statement confirming that her father would not be walking her down the aisle due to his poor health.

Meghan's niece was not invited

Meghan Markle's niece, Ashleigh Hale, did not attend Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry in 2018. Ashleigh is the daughter of Meghan's half-sister, Samantha Markle. Meghan and Samantha were estranged, and Meghan has said she did not feel close to her half-sister. However, Meghan and Ashleigh had a close bond. The Duchess of Sussex shared in the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan that she and Ashleigh travelled together and had a sisterly relationship. Meghan said:

> I wanted a sister, and she was like a little sister.

Despite their close relationship, Meghan was advised by the Palace's communications team not to invite Ashleigh to the royal wedding. Meghan explained that the small team struggled to explain why Samantha would not be invited to the wedding, while Ashleigh would. She said:

> I don't think anyone understands what that very small comms team was dealing with. They just couldn't wrap their heads around it and I have compassion for it. How do we explain that this half-sister isn't invited to the wedding, but that the half-sister's daughter is? And so with Ashleigh, the guidance at the time was to not have her come to our wedding.

Meghan and Harry called Ashleigh to explain the situation. Ashleigh said:

> I said I was hurt on some level, but I understood where it was coming from. 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.

Meghan and Ashleigh's relationship was strained following the wedding snub, but they reconnected at the end of 2021.

Meghan's half-brother wrote a letter to Prince Harry

Meghan Markle's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., wrote a letter to Prince Harry before his wedding to Meghan, urging him to call off the wedding. In the letter, Thomas Jr. expressed his concern that the wedding would be "the biggest mistake in royal wedding history." He claimed that Meghan was a "jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you and the royal family heritage." He also accused her of using her father until his money was gone and then forgetting about him, stating that she had forgotten her roots.

Thomas Jr.'s letter caused quite a stir in the media, with many questioning his motives and the accuracy of his claims. It is important to note that Thomas Jr. and Meghan have had a strained relationship, and he was not invited to the wedding.

Meghan's relationship with her family has been a source of much speculation and controversy. In the lead-up to the wedding, there was a lot of focus on whether her father, Thomas Markle Sr., would walk her down the aisle. Ultimately, he did not attend the wedding due to health issues. Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, was her only family member present at the wedding.

There have been various claims and counter-claims regarding the absence of Meghan's family members at the wedding. One such claim involves Meghan's niece, Ashleigh Hale. In the Netflix documentary "Harry & Meghan," Meghan recalls her heartbreak at not being able to invite Ashleigh to the wedding due to advice from the Firm. However, this claim was refuted by a Palace source, who stated that they never gave any guidance on the guest list and that it was Meghan's decision not to invite her niece.

The presence of celebrities at the wedding, such as Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney, also sparked speculation about the couple's guest list choices. Some have suggested that Meghan strategically invited A-list celebrities to create her own "court" of powerful and vocal supporters.

Meghan's half-sister talks a lot to the press

Meghans's half-sister talks a lot to the press

Meghan Markle's half-sister, Samantha Markle, has been very vocal in the press about her relationship with Meghan and the royal family. In an interview with Marie Claire, Samantha claimed that Meghan lied about not being allowed to invite her niece, Ashleigh Hale, to her wedding. Samantha stated that it was Meghan's decision not to invite her niece and that the Palace had no involvement in the matter. This contradicts Meghan's claims in the Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, where she stated that she was heartbroken when told by the Firm that Ashleigh could not come to her wedding.

Samantha's comments to the press have sparked further controversy and raised questions about the truth behind Meghan's claims. A royal insider stated that Meghan wanted to shield Ashleigh from media attention and that it was her choice to not invite her niece. They also added that the royal family wanted more family members present at the wedding to make it less awkward for Meghan.

The conflict between Meghan and Samantha has been ongoing, with Samantha often criticising Meghan in the media. Andrew Morton, author of the royal biography "Diana: Her True Story", suggested that Meghan's decision to invite A-list celebrities to her wedding was a strategic power play. He claimed that Meghan created her own "court" of powerful and vocal supporters, which included individuals like Oprah Winfrey, who had no prior connection to the couple.

The guest list for Harry and Meghan's wedding sparked further debate, with some of Harry's long-time friends, such as Tom Inskip, notably absent from the reception. It was speculated that the choice to invite celebrities over old friends was a way for Harry and Meghan to signal the people they wanted in their lives moving forward. This "new Harry" has reportedly distanced himself from his old Gloucestershire set and embraced a different lifestyle.

The ongoing commentary from Samantha Markle and the resulting media attention have contributed to the public's fascination with the royal family and the dynamics surrounding Meghan's relationship with her family and the Firm.

Meghan's half-brother was arrested on gun charges

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has had a fraught relationship with her half-siblings, Samantha and Thomas Markle Jr. Markle's father, Thomas Markle Sr., worked as a television lighting director and director of photography. Markle occasionally visited the set of 'Married... with Children' as a child. Markle's parents separated when she was two years old and divorced four years later.

Markle lived with her father full-time before commencing university at age eighteen. She became estranged from her father and paternal half-siblings in later life. Samantha Markle, Meghan's half-sister, alleged that she and Meghan were close when they were growing up, although this is not backed by the Duchess. The pair are 17 years apart and did not grow up at the same time. Samantha was not invited to Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.

Samantha Markle filed a defamation lawsuit against Meghan in March 2022, accusing her of lying in the Oprah interview and disseminating false statements. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice in March 2024, as the claimant was unable to provide evidence of defamation.

Meghan's nephew grew a cannabis strain for the wedding

Meghan Markle's nephew, Tyler Dooley, has revealed that he thinks her half-brother Thomas Markle Jr. and half-sister Samantha Markle are an "embarrassment" to the family. The 26-year-old, who is estranged from his father, works as a cannabis farmer in Oregon, where the drug was legalised for recreational use in 2015.

As a wedding present to Meghan and Prince Harry, Dooley decided to develop a potent strain of cannabis called "Markle's Sparkle". He pointed out that Meghan grew up in the pro-cannabis state of California and that Harry "enjoys a good party". If the royal couple ever visit him in Oregon, he would be happy to offer them a sample.

Dooley's company, Southern Oregon Cannabis Connection, was established in 2015 and has since received a lot of publicity due to his aunt's royal connections. His three-acre growing facility includes a 6,000-square-foot warehouse and two retail stores, employing 25 people. The stores offer customers a wide range of weed-infused products, from pre-rolled joints to gummy bears, oils, vaporizers, cookies, and popcorn.

Dooley claims that he no longer consumes marijuana himself, despite smoking his first joint in high school. He is estranged from his father, Thomas Markle Jr., who was arrested in January 2018 for allegedly holding a gun to a woman's head during a drunken argument. Dooley now considers his mother, brother, and grandfather as the only family he has left.

While Dooley may not have received an invitation to Meghan and Harry's wedding, he doesn't rule out meeting their child in the future. He expressed his support for Prince Harry, seeing similarities between them and describing the prince as a "normal down-to-earth guy".

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