Suits creator says British royal family ‘weighed in’ on Meghan Markle's role on show

By Mike Bedigan, PA Los Angeles Correspondent

The creator of US legal drama Suits has said that the British royal family occasionally “weighed in” on parts of the series that involved Meghan Markle.

Aaron Korsh recalled an instance where Meghan’s character was allegedly forbidden to say the word “poppycock” as scripted.

Meghan played the role of paralegal Rachel Zane on the show, which first premiered in 2011, for seven seasons.

She continued in the role after meeting Britain's Prince Harry in 2016.

Speaking to US outlet The Hollywood Reporter about the resurgence in the show’s popularity, Korsh said there had been “a few things that we wanted to do and couldn’t do” with Meghan’s character, and that it had been “a little irritating”.

“I will say, and I think Harry put this in the book, because I heard people talking about it — (the royal family) weighed in on some stuff,” he said.

“Not many things, by the way, but a few things that we wanted to do and couldn’t do, and it was a little irritating.”

Korsh also recalled an instance where Meghan’s character was scripted to say the word “poppycock” in a nod to his own in-laws.

“The Royal Family did not want her saying the word,” he said.

“They didn’t want to put the word ‘poppycock’ in her mouth.”

Asked how the Palace obtained the scripts, he continued: “I don’t know how they got them.

“I was aware that they were reading them because I got the feedback, but I don’t remember the process by which they got them.”

Meghan left Suits in 2017, after seven seasons of appearing in the show.

In his controversial memoir Spare, released in January 2023, Harry had also made reference to Palace involvement in the show, as he described her departure.

“(It was) a difficult moment for her, because she loved that show, loved the character she was playing, loved her cast and crew – loved Canada,” he wrote.

“On the other hand, life there had become untenable.

“The show writers were frustrated, because they were often advised by the palace comms team to change lines of dialogue, what her character would do, how she would act.”

Buckingham Palace has been approached for comment.