Meghan Markle quit acting ahead of her 2018 royal wedding to Prince Harry and before the pair relocated to the United States. Now that the couple are preparing to return to England, is an acting comeback in Meghan’s future?
After securing a handful of TV and film roles, Meghan notably starred as paralegal-turned-attorney Rachel Zane for seven seasons of USA Network’s Suits from 2011 to 2017. She left ahead of the final season before she married Harry the following year.
“I don’t see it as giving anything up. I just see it as a change. It’s a new chapter,” Meghan told the BBC in November 2017 about her decision to walk away from Hollywood. “Also, keep in mind, I’ve been working on [Suits] for seven years. We were very, very fortunate to have that sort of longevity on a series.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex ultimately stepped down from their official duties as senior working royals in 2020 in favor of a private life with their two children, relocating from England to California. News broke six years later in August 2026 that Harry and Meghan would return to the U.K. in time for kids Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to start school that fall semester.
Amid Harry and Meghan’s move, Us learned that the former actress was in early talks to star in season 3 of Guy Ritchie’s The Gentleman. Meghan also had a bit part in Close Personal Friends, which was filmed in 2025.
Keep scrolling to read Meghan’s candid comments about walking away from acting — and whether she would consider returning to Hollywood:
Ready for a Change
While speaking with the BBC in November 2017, Meghan felt ready to leave Suits behind.
“I’ve ticked this box, and I feel very proud of the work I’ve done there, and now it’s time to work with [Harry] as a team,” she told the outlet. “I think what’s been really exciting as we talk about the transition out of my career and into my role is the causes that are really important to me that I can focus even more energy on.”
She’s ‘Done’
Meghan claimed to Variety in 2022 that she didn’t see herself acting again.
“I’m done,” she said. “I guess never say never, but my intention is to absolutely not.”
Years later, Meghan launched her short-lived “Archetypes” and “Confessions of a Female Founder” podcasts. She also appeared as herself on Netflix’s With Love, Meghan, which ran for two seasons and highlighted the duchess’ love of DIY projects, cooking and gardening.
Would Meghan Markle Let Her Kids Follow in Her Acting Footsteps?
The As Ever founder supported the idea when speaking with Variety in 2022.
“I would say, ‘Great!’ When you become a parent, you genuinely want your kids to find the things that bring them complete joy,” Meghan said. “They’re our kids, obviously, and they’re part of a legacy and a tradition and a family that will have other expectations. I want them to be able to carve out their own path. If it’s the entertainment industry, great, and also, good luck. There are so many people that will talk about what opened the door for my children, but it still takes talent and a lot of grit. We’re creating multidimensional, interesting, kind, creative people. That’s who our kids are.”
Speaking on Camera as Herself Felt Different
Two years after Harry and Meghan’s royal step-down, they sat down with director Liz Garbus for an eponymous Netflix docuseries.
“It’s nice to be able to trust someone with our story — a seasoned director whose work I’ve long admired — even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it,” Meghan told Variety in 2022. “That’s not why we’re telling it. We’re trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens.”
She added at the time, “For me, having worked on Suits, it’s so amazing to be around so much creative energy and to see how people work together and share their own points of view. That’s been really fun.”
