A number of Harry and Meghan’s friends appear as talking heads in the first instalment of their eagerly anticipated Netflix series.
Here is a look at who they are.
– Lindsay Jill Roth
Ms Roth, an author and producer, was a fellow student of Meghan’s at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
In the Netflix show, Ms Roth speaks about Meghan, saying: “In the summer of 2016 she had a few different trips planned and she was just going to be free.”
She said Meghan was “giddy” about Harry after meeting him.
– Nacho Figueras
Argentine polo player Nacho Figueras, who is an ambassador for Harry’s charity Sentebale, recalled the early days after Harry met Meghan.
He said Harry told him and his wife about having met someone.
Mr Figueras told the Netflix show: “You could tell right away that those were the eyes of someone that had fallen in love.”
– Silver Tree
Meghan’s friend Silver Tree, who directed the US drama Suits – which the duchess starred in, said Meghan was “crazy” about Harry after meeting him.
Ahead of the couple’s first date, Ms Tree told the show that Meghan had sent her a text to say she was going on the date and said: “You’re not going to believe this”.
Ms Tree said: “We thought it was really funny. We were like ‘in what world does this happen?’”
– Jill Smoller
Meghan sat next to high-profile sports agent Jill Smoller at Wimbledon in 2016.
Ms Smoller said they chatted about “different dates and different people that were possibilities”.
She said she found out the following day that Meghan was going on a date with Harry.
– Lucy Fraser
Lucy Fraser is described as a friend in an on-screen caption.
Discussing Meghan’s situation in the summer of 2016, Ms Fraser tells the show: “She had planned her single-girl summer and she had a lot of plans of going around Europe.”
– James Holt
James Holt is the executive director of Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation.
He previously worked as the couple’s UK spokesman and has also previously worked in royal comms.
When his promotion to executive director at Archewell was announced, it was said that Mr Holt would lead the foundation’s mission to “uplift and unite communities through acts of compassion”.
– Afua Hirsch
Afua Hirsch is a writer, broadcaster and former barrister.
On her website she says there is a theme that threads through everything she does, and that is “trying to make sense of the injustice and unfairness I see in the world around me”.
– Nicky
Nicky, whose surname is not given, is described as “Harry’s childhood friend” in an on-screen caption.
He tells the show that he met Harry at Eton at the age of 13 and the pair had rooms next door to each other.
– Abigail Spencer
Meghan has been friends with the actress since they starred together in the US legal drama Suits.
She also used to contribute to Meghan’s lifestyle site.
– Prince Seeiso of Lesotho
Prince Seeiso and Harry set up the charity Sentebale together to help impoverished Aids orphans in the southern African kingdom of Lesotho.
They have a strong bond and have been friends for 15 years after Seeiso invited Harry to spend a seminal two months in Lesotho during his gap year.
Harry told the Netflix show they “became like brothers”.
– Ashleigh Hale
Ms Hale, an attorney, is the daughter of Samantha Markle who is Meghan’s elder half-sister.
She was raised by her paternal grandparents who went on to adopt her.
Meghan told the show she “hit it off” with her niece after connecting with each other over email and the pair would go on to holiday together.
Speaking about Meghan, Ms Hale said “there’s like a sister element, there’s something maternal, she’s a best friend”.
Meghan said: “I wanted a sister and she was like a little sister.”
– Robert Hazell
Constitution expert Professor Robert Hazell is the author of The Role of Monarchy in Modern Democracy.
– David Olusoga
David Olusoga is a broadcaster and historian, and is a professor of public history at the University of Manchester.
– Doria Ragland
Doria Ragland introduces herself as “Meghan’s mom” and says the last five years have been “challenging”.
She tells the interviewer: “I’m ready to have my voice heard, that’s for sure.”
– Vicky Tsai
Vicky Tsai, described as a friend in an on-screen caption, said Harry and Meghan’s relationship “looked like a fairytale”.
– Dhru Purohit
Dhru Purohit, described as a friend in an on-screen caption, said his sister called him to tell him Meghan was in a relationship with Harry.
– Nick Collins
Nick Collins, Meghan’s former agent, said his phone started going “crazy” when news of her relationship with Harry emerged.
“And then it was just like this tidal wave,” he said.
– Chantelle Humphrey
Chantelle Humphrey, Meghan’s former personal assistant, said Meghan had “such a beautiful life before everything exploded”.
– Heather Dorak
Meghan’s friend and Celebrity pilates instructor Heather Dorak told the Netflix show she was proud of Meghan for persevering despite being turned down for acting roles before she secured her job on Suits.
– Susan Williger
Meghan’s childhood friend Susan Williger said the press was “ruthless”, adding: “They would go to my parents’ home”.
– Misan Harriman
Misan Harriman is a photographer and a family friend of Harry and Meghan.
The on-screen caption also said he is the chair of the Southbank Centre in London.
– Tim Burt
Tim Burt is a strategic advisor to Archewell and vice chairman at Teneo.
“It’s important to remember that the royal family in the UK and the causes that they champion are deliberately non-controversial. Meghan was more of an activist,” he said.
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