Abigail Spencer has been friends with Meghan since 2007 and by her side for all her major life events. Now the Suits actress has shared her thoughts on the Duchess’s derided Netflix series
Meghan Markle came under fire following the release of her Netflix lifestyle series, with critics savaging their eight-part show. But now one of the Duchess’s best friends has spoken out to share her thoughts on With Love, Meghan – and given a glimpse inside their close bond.
Abigail Spencer first met Meghan in 2007 at an audition and their friendship continued to blossom after they started to work together on Suits. As such, Abigail has been by Meghan’s side for some major milestone events, including her wedding to Prince Harry, and she was one of the special guests to appear on the Netflix series.
The 43-year-old – who shares the same exact birthday date, month and year with Meghan – has now spoken to HELLO! about their bond, saying: “We have a very private friendship so choosing to let people in on part of that is… it’s very private but I’m glad that we got to share a little bit of it.”
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Abigail continued: “Meghan is the hostess with the most. Literally for years she has been like this. But I really was there just to support her and surround her. This is her heart, that show is her heart, it was so natural and [I was] really just there to have fun and to delight in her and to be a safe space. I think that comes through.”
That day of filming was “beautifully fun,” said Abigail, adding that she is “so proud of Meghan” for bringing the vision together. “Creating that was very authentic for her; I’ve known her a long time and she was doing all of this many, many years ago, and I’m grateful that it came back around.”
It follows claims that while Netflix might not renew the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s multimillion-pound deal, it may “keep a vague hand” in working with them “in case there’s a divorce”. During a recent episode of The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, hosts Marina Hyde and Richard Osman discussed the release of the Duchess of Sussex ‘s show, which sees her give cooking, gardening and hosting tips to her famous friends.
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Following its release, With Love, Meghan made it to number seven in last week’s UK top 10 on Netflix , while it landed a spot in the top 10 in the US, too. Figures from Netflix’s official companion site Tudum also revealed 12.6 million hours of the show had been streamed – compared to the 2022 docuseries Harry & Meghan, which had 97.7 million hours watched in its first seven days on the platform.
Ruminating over what’s next for the couple, Marina said: “First of all, there’s not going to be a severing with Netflix . They’re not going to renew, but they might say we’re continuing to develop projects with them,” she claimed, before referencing reports the couple have purchased the rights to a best-selling novel with plans to adapt it for Netflix .
She added: “I have to say, and this is the reality, is that a lot of people are hanging around in case there’s a divorce. Because then, and that might be Netflix, or whoever it might be, who’s got a deal with them, might keep a vague hand in.” The Mirror has contacted representatives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment.
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It comes as Harry and Meghan found themselves at the centre of a scathing article from Vanity Fair in January, which included a number of brutal allegations. Perhaps the most shocking was the claim that a member of Meghan’s team had reached out to a publishing house to “gauge interest” in a post-divorce book.
The article did make clear that the couple are not on the road to divorce, however. An excerpt from the article reads: “Not a general book on life after marital dissolution, or one about Meghan’s past experience. (She was married to producer Trevor Engelson from 2011 to 2014.)
“This book — this notion of a book, really — might center on a post-Harry divorce. Not that there was actually one in the works! Just…if this a priori divorce ever came to be, would this publisher theoretically be interested in a book that took place in its aftermath?” According to The Times, the Sussexes denied all claims in the blistering article and were ‘distressed’ by the whole ordeal.