Meghan Markle Suits exit confirmed following engagement to Prince Harry

She's starred in the US drama since its very first episode aired in 2011

Meghan Markle is officially leaving US series Suits following her engagement to Prince Harry.

The news was confirmed by USA Network who broadcasts the legal drama in a statement revealing her character Rachel Zane will depart the show at the end of season 7 - something showrunner Aaron Korsh teased on Radio 4 earlier today (19 November).

“From all of us at USA Network and Universal Cable Productions, we want to send our most heartfelt congratulations to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on their engagement,“ the statement read. ”Meghan has been a member of our family for seven years and it has been a joy to work with her. We want to thank her for her undeniable passion and dedication to Suits, and we wish her the very best.”

Markle's Suits departure has been imminent. It's strongly expected that she'll leave the series alongside her on-screen fiancé Patrick J. Adams at the end of the current season. While Adams' departure remains unconfirmed, Markle's final scenes will air in 2018.

Following the engagement announcement, Korsh and Markle's co-stars have released heartfelt statements wishing her all the best for her future with Prince Harry.

Korsh told Radio 4 how he planned for Markle and Prince Harry's engagement while writing the show, saying: "It's much easier to undo that if it came to it than to just plan on her staying forever and then finding out that she's going to go."

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