While many assumed that Suits star Meghan Markle left the hit USA Network show after Prince Harry proposed to her, it appears that she was actually written off as early as last year. Suits creator Aaron Korsh recently revealed that the decision to let Markle go was “a gamble” that he and the writers took after observing that Meghan’s relationship with the British royal was going strong.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced their engagement in November and are deep in preparations for their wedding in spring, 2018. Shortly after the announcement, Markle confirmed that she would be leaving Suits . The actress left Toronto, where she lived while filming the legal drama, and now resides in Kensington Palace with Prince Harry.
But while Suits fans are happy for the bride-to-be, her departure has left viewers of the popular drama series with a bunch of questions. Will her character, Rachel Zane, die? Or will she finally marry Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams)? How are the writers wrapping up Rachel’s story?
In an interview with Radio 4’s Today program, as reported by BBC , Korsh explained that he had been anticipating Meghan would exit the show given her “burgeoning” relationship with Prince Harry.
“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?’”
As a way to say thank you, they have decided to share this candid photograph from the day of their portrait sittings directly with all of you. pic.twitter.com/MROyiKWEnG
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) December 21, 2017
According to Korsh, he and the writers got together to collectively decide the fate of one of their lead female characters. The Suits creator said that they believed Meghan and Prince Harry were in love and that it was all “going to work out.”
“What we decided to do was as the season progresses say, ‘Look, I would rather have good things happen to Meghan in her life’ — which would likely mean her leaving the show.”
“So let’s plan on that and it’s much easier to undo that, if it came to it, than to just plan on her staying forever and then finding out she’s going to go,” he added.
“And the only way to write a character out like that would be if they got hit by a bus or something.”
Given that Korsh and his writing staff reportedly came to this decision over a year ago, it seems they’ve had more than enough time to craft a memorable exit for Rachel and a fulfilling conclusion to her relationship with Mike.
Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle, December 2017. pic.twitter.com/WHIMNNZzto
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) December 21, 2017
Last month, Us Weekly reported that Markle and Adams were spotted filming their characters’ long-awaited wedding. The event was allegedly filmed inside a hotel in Toronto. The outlet’s source claimed that everything “was on lockdown,” with the crew doing their best to keep details of the shoot from leaking.
Whether or not this scene actually plays out in the upcoming season of Suits , fans expect Markle’s final appearance in the series to be a satisfying one. The actress seems to be on good terms with her former co-workers, including Adams, who shared a good-natured joke on Twitter after his co-star’s engagement to Prince Harry was announced.
She said she was just going out to get some milk… https://t.co/y7cnM0eC9D
— Patrick J Adams (@halfadams) November 27, 2017
The royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will be held at Windsor Castle in May.