‘Suits’ Stars Reveal How They Learned About Meghan Markle’s Royal Relationship

Meghan Markle as Rachel — “Suits” star Rick Hoffman revealed that he found out from Meghan Markle that she was dating Prince Harry while they were in a trailer on the set of the USA Network series. USA Network/Ian Watson

A day before Meghan Markle weds Prince Harry, her “Suits” co-stars Rick Hoffman, Gina Torres, and Sarah Rafferty dropped by the “Today” show to talk about the bride and how they found out about her royal relationship.

“I got the news early, and I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” Hoffman, who plays Louis Litt on the USA Network series, recalled of the moment he learned that Markle was dating Prince Harry. “It was like both of us in the trailer, just kind of like, ‘Oh! You’re dating a prince?!’ You know, I was just like, ‘Take it slow, be careful — don’t let him hurt you.’”

Since it’s important to Markle that her love life is kept private, Markle’s co-stars never talked about it to the press until it was officially made public. “We knew she was excited, and there was reason to keep it close to the vest,” said Torres, who portrayed Jessica Pearson on the legal drama and is now set to star on “Suits” spinoff “Second City.”

“We work together for so many years on a show,” Rafferty, who plays Donna Paulsen on “Suits,” said of how close she is to Markle. “It was such an amazing experience. We were with each other for longer than we went to college or high school with our friends. We became family in a way — we’re still family. So this [wedding] is a wonderful family affair.”

Though Markle and her onscreen husband Patrick J. Adams exited “Suits” at the end of Season 7, Rafferty said that their characters “Mike and Rachel are really still there [on the show] — their spirits are still there.”

“Moving into the seasons ahead, they have a presence,” Rafferty told TV Guide last month of Mike and Rachel, who finally tied the knot at the end of last season. “There’s no way that we could be on ‘Suits’ without their characters being present, and their spirits being evoked, moving forward. It’s certainly not the last we hear about them, that’s for sure.”

While series creator Aaron Korsh doesn’t expect Markle to return to the series in the future, the exec producer told TV Insider last month that Adams could come back “if the story and timing are right.”

“Suits” Season 8 premieres in July on USA Network.