Why did Meghan Markle leave Suits?

MEGHAN Markle was given one piece of advice by a Suits cast member before leaving the TV show for good – that she always has friends.

The US legal drama was her big break, but also her last role as an actress before tying the knot with Prince Harry.

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Who did Meghan Markle play in Suits?

Meghan Markle played paralegal Rachel Zane on Suits for seven seasons.

Her character eventually worked her way up the ladder from paralegal to attorney.

Throughout her time on the show, Meghan’s character Rachel grew close to attorney Mike Ross, played by Patrick J Adams.

The legal drama revolved around Mike, who managed to gain a position at a swanky lawyer’s office in New York city, despite having no qualifications

Throughout the show, the pair become romantically involved and eventually marry and set up their own legal firm in .

Their exit from the show coincided with Meghan’s real-life departure from the world of acting.

How many series of Suits was Meghan Markle in?

Meghan hit the big time when she starred in Suits and was on the show for seven seasons.

Before that, she only had small parts on TV and in films.

Her Suits journey began in the show’s pilot which aired on June 23, 2011.

However, she waved goodbye to the show in season seven, after real-life events – her engagement to Prince Harry – took over.

In total she was in 108 episodes from 2011 until 2018.

Why did Meghan Markle quit Suits?

While the exact reason for Meghan’s Suits departure has never been confirmed, her final season did coincide with her getting married to Prince Harry.

Meghan’s last ever Suits episode aired in April 2018 – just a few weeks later on May 19, 2018, she became Duchess of Sussex. 

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Showrunner Aaron Korsh revealed to Radio 4 in 2017 that he had actually begun writing her character out after she started dating Harry.

He said: “I sort of had a decision to make because I didn’t want to intrude and ask her, ‘Hey, what’s going on? What are you going to do?’

“So, collectively the writers, we decided to take a gamble that these two people are in love and it’s going to work out.”

Aaron then claimed in August 2023, that the Royal Family “asked him to edit Meghan Markle’s script “so she wouldn’t use a “sensitive” word.

Meghan left the show the same year she announced her engagement to Prince Harry in 2017.

Ahead of her departure, Wendell Pierce, veteran attorney Robert Zane and dad to Rachel, revealed he gave Meghan one last word of advice.

Speaking to , he said: “I’m always reminded of the last day working with Meghan, which was the wedding scene prior to her engagement to the Prince.

“I said, ‘Meghan, your life is going to be a whirlwind. You’re going to be in this bubble. I just want you to remember that no matter what happens, you always have friends. And I hope you count me in that number’.”

Although Wendell didn’t attend the royal wedding the following year, the Suits co-stars still have a strong bond.

Who were Meghan Markle’s co-stars?

Meghan worked alongside Patrick J Adams, who played her love interest Mike Ross.

They were joined in the cast by:

• Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter
• Rick Hoffman as Louis Litt
• Sarah Rafferty as Donna Paulsen
• Gina Torres as Jessica Pearson
• Abigail Spencer as Dana “Scottie” Scott

Is Meghan Markle still friends with the Suits stars?

After quitting the show, Meghan remained close friends with her co-stars on Suits.

In fact, many of the stars of the show were invited to her wedding to Prince Harry.

However, the only person she is known to continue to be close to is Abigail Spencer, who played Scottie.

The pair often go hiking together, with Prince Harry joining them.

Patrick said he is not in contact with his former co-star anymore.

He told the Hollywood reporter: “Zero, No, no communication”.

It was also revealed the Suits co-stars are set to launch a brand new podcast featuring exclusive gossip from the show.

But Meghan is unlikely to be invited on as a special guest.

How much did Meghan Markle earn from Suits and does she get royalties from Netflix?

Meghan’s work on Suits earned her $50,000 per episode, which is around £39k.

The Sun also exclusively revealed how she gets a royalty pay check every time the show airs on Netflix.

In fact, it was revealed by us that the money helped pay for her mansion in Montecito, California.