Who are voices behind Netflix's Harry and Meghan?

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend a gala in New York City in December 2022.

The release of Harry and Meghan's new Netflix documentary featured a kaleidoscopic cast of characters, some speaking about their relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex publicly for the first time.

From family and friends to experts and witnesses, dozens appeared within the first three episodes.

Their on-screen contributions added flavour to the highly anticipated "tell-all" docuseries, but left many wondering: Who are they?

So here's some off-screen background information about a few of the cast.

Ashleigh Hale

Ashleigh Hale, one of the more elusive media targets among the Harry and Meghan camp, spoke out publicly for the first time.

Ms Hale, an attorney, is the daughter of Meghan's older half-sister, Samantha Markle. In the show, Ms Hale says she was raised by her paternal grandparents and that she later connected with Meghan over email.

That's when they "hit it off", Meghan told viewers. From there, the friendship grew.

Ashleigh Hale sits for an interview in Netflix's Meghan and Harry

"There's like a sister element," Ms Hale said. "There's something maternal, she's a best friend."

However, Meghan's nuptials with the prince proved a source of friction with Ms Hale, who was not invited to the royal wedding.

Ms Hale tells the interviewer she was "hurt on some level". The explanation given was that she was not invited because her mother, Samantha, wasn't.

Meghan says inviting one without the other would have been difficult to explain to media.

Doria Ragland

Doria Ragland is Meghan's mother. In the docuseries, she shares her first extensive public comments.

Ragland told the interviewer: "I am ready to have my voice heard."

Meghan and her mother, Doria Ragland, arrive for the wedding ceremony May 2018.

She describes the last five years of her life as "challenging" since Meghan's engagement to Prince Harry in 2017.

Incessant paparazzi, whose interest in the royal couple is noted in the series, was troublesome for Ms Ragland, too. She says she felt "stalked" by them.

Ms Ragland attributes to race a negative media frenzy over Meghan in the wake of her engagement.

She says she regrets not having conversations about race with her daughter earlier in life.

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Silver Tree

Silver Tree is a Hollywood producer, director and writer who developed a relationship with Meghan during production of the US TV drama Suits, where Meghan was a lead actress.

In a social media post last year, Ms Tree wrote that Meghan "is one of my very nearest and dearest. Like all friends, I love her madly".

Silver Tree and Meghan posing for a photo posted on Tree's Instagram account in 2021

Ms Tree outlined in the post acts of kindness by Meghan - including giving her peonies on her birthday - and wrote: "This is Meg before she met H (Prince Harry). This is Meg now. She's always been this person."

In the programme, Ms Tree recalls her initial scepticism upon first hearing that Meghan was going on a date with the prince. "We thought it was really funny. We were like, 'in what world does this happen?"'

However, she describes Meghan as "crazy" about the duke after meeting him.

Ignacio 'Nacho' Figueras

Argentinian polo player, celebrity and model Nacho Figueras is known to be a longtime friend of Prince Harry.

He first met the duke at a charity event for Sentebale in 2007 - an organisation co-founded by the prince - and is now an ambassador for it.

Prince Harry and Ignacio Figueras appear at a polo match in Rome, Italy in 2019

Over the years, the two have also appeared on multiple polo pitches and recently played as teammates on the Los Padres team at the Santa Barbara Polo Club. Mr Figueras later described the moment in an interview with Vanity Fair as "a dream come true".

In the docuseries, Mr Figueras commented on the early part of Harry and Meghan's relationship saying: "You could tell right away that those were the eyes of someone that had fallen in love."