‘Suits’: Meghan Markle Likely Won’t Return for Series Finale

Meghan Markle likely won’t be trading in her royal title for the name Rachel Zane in the Suits series finale.

Markle had appeared on the USA Network legal drama from the show’s pilot in 2011 through its Season 7 finale, which aired just weeks after she married Prince Harry and officially became a member of the British Royal Family, but it seems that she will not be reprising her role for the series’ ninth and final season.

“We’re not currently pursuing asking Meghan Markle to leave her position with the royal family and join us,” Suits creator and executive producer Aaron Korsh said on Tuesday at the Television Critics Association winter press tour, according to TVLine. “I would love it, but I think it’s pretty close to zero.”

Speculation that the Duchess of Sussex would be making her return to the big screen was first sparked after reports surfaced claiming that NBC Universal, USA Networks parent company, was gearing up to offer Markle a multi-million dollar check to a charity of her choice in turn for a brief two-minute cameo in an upcoming episode.

Rumors were further fueled when Korsh revealed that they were not opposed to considering a return of several beloved characters in the series’ final season.

“I don’t want to spend the entire season on reminiscing, but also I don’t want to spend none of the season bringing back old favorites so we’re trying to formulate what the balance is going to be,” he said. “It’s always been in the lexicon of Suits to bring people back and that’s because I think that’s how life works. People come in and out of your life so we’ve always had a mix of new and old and I think we will continue with that hopefully in a satisfying way.”

While Markle may not be returning to the series, a return of her on-screen husband, Mike Ross, isn’t out of the question.

“I had discussed with Patrick [J. Adams], when he left, the possibility of coming back, and we both decided if the time was right, and he was up for it, and he had the time, that we would do it,” Korsh said, his statement matching his previous words that “you can’t contemplate it without contemplating bringing Mike back. We’re contemplating it and we’ll see where we land.”

Portrayed by Patrick J. Adams, Mike had made his exit from the show at the same time that Markle had.

New episodes of Suits, currently in the back half of its eighth season, air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on US Network.