Kensington Palace 'ordered' changes to Meghan's Suits scripts before wedding to Prince Harry: author

Kensington Palace "stepped in to control" Meghan's final days as an actress and made changes to scripts in the lead up to her marriage to Prince Harry, it has been claimed.

When the couple announced their engagement in November 2017, the future Duchess of Sussex revealed she was giving up her acting career for a "new chapter" in her life.

But she still had a number of scenes to film for the legal drama Suits, in which she played paralegal turned lawyer Rachel Zane, a role she had since 2011.

READ MORE: Prince Harry's book 'written' and due for Christmas release

The final episode saw Meghan's character marry her long-term boyfriend Mike Ross, played by Patrick J Adams.

In his new, unauthorised, biography on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex author Tom Bower claims those inside Kensington Palace were cautious of how Meghan was being portrayed on the small screen.

"Fearing the worst, from bitter experience, the palace stepped in to control Meghan's life," Bower writes in Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors.

"[Producer] Aaron Korsh was told to submit all future Suits scripts to Nick Collins, Meghan's agent.

READ MORE: The 10 most controversial, and thought-provoking, royal books

"Scripts were thereafter forwarded to Kensington Palace for approval. Orders for changes of words were sent back from London to Los Angeles."

Prince Harry first confirmed his relationship with Meghan in November 2016, in a statement from Kensington Palace attacking the media for subjecting her to a "wave of abuse and harassment".

A year later they announced their engagement in the Sunken Garden at the palace and gave an interview to the BBC about their upcoming wedding, which was planned for May the following year.

Meghan spoke about leaving her career behind to join the royal family.

READ MORE: Inside Balmoral Castle, the royal family's summer retreat

"I don't see it as giving anything up," she told the BBC. "I just see it as a change.

"It's a new chapter, right? Also keep in mind I had been working on my show for seven years. So we were very, very fortunate to be able to have that sort of longevity on a series.

"For me, once we hit the 100 episode marker, I thought, you know what, I have ticked this box, and I feel very proud of the work I had done there and now it's time to work as team with you."

Meghan's final episode in Suits aired in the US in April 2018, a month before the royal wedding.

Bower claims the palace was "concerned" about how the future royal would be seen ahead of marrying Prince Harry and "ordered" no photos be taken of Meghan wearing a wedding dress ahead of the episode going to air.

"The most important demand concerned Meghan's last scene at her 'wedding' to Mike," Bower wrote.

"No photographs, the palace ordered, were to be shot of Meghan wearing a wedding dress.

READ MORE: 'It's time William and Harry put their rift aside and unite'

"Between filming, she was always to wear a jacket over the dress. The atmosphere in the studio changed.

"Some actors and staff discovered that Meghan's attitude occasionally stiffened. Sometimes she arrived late and her empathy occasionally morphed into near-arrogance.

"Meghan had markedly shifted from the early days when she held a prayer meeting with the Suits cast before filming started."

During Prince Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah in March 2021, the duke said Meghan didn't have to quit her career as an actress to marry him.

The duke said "members of my family were suggesting that she carries on acting" to help fund their security and that of their unborn child.

Meghan was later told by the Queen that she was not obliged to be a full-time member of the royal family when she married Prince Harry and was free to keep acting, biographer Andrew Morton said.

His comments came after the duchess told Oprah she was forced to give up her passport and driving licence when she joined the family in 2018.

"The Queen gave them [the duke and duchess] the opportunity to go wherever they pleased," Morton said.

"They were given a degree of latitude.

"They were told: 'Here are your first class tickets, pick which country you want to go to, we're going to make you youth ambassadors for the Commonwealth.'

"They did say to Meghan: 'If you don't want to embrace royal duties full time please be our guest and continue your acting career.' Those opportunities were open to her."