Meghan Markle's final Suits episode teased by showrunner following Prince Harry engagement

She is confirmed to be leaving the series at the end of its seventh season

Suits showrunner Aaron Korsh has discussed how he plans to write Meghan Markle out of the long-running US series following her engagement to Prince Harry.

Following USA Network's official statement confirming Markle's character Rachel Zane was to depart the legal drama at the end of its seventh season, Korsh appeared on Radio 4 where he revealed what it's been like writing a series starring a future member of the royal family.

“I knew obviously from about a year ago - we and all the writers knew that this relationship was burgeoning,” Korsh said.

“I sort of had a decision to make because I didn't want to intrude and kind of ask her: 'Hey, what's going on? What are you going to do?' So I decided to sort of, collectively the writers, we decided to take a gamble that these two people were in love and it was going to work out.

“So what we decided to do was as the season progressed, say, ”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 that she's going to go - the only way to write a character out like that would be if they get hit by a bus or something.”

Korsh's words confirm that 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, her co-stars have released heartfelt statements wishing her all the best for her future with Prince Harry.

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