Please Enjoy This Photo Of Meghan Markle Laughing, Drinking Wine From Her Suits Days

Sometimes we need a reminder that Meghan Markle led a full, wonderful life before marrying Prince Harry in 2018. She had a career she loved and independence enough to go out for a glass of wine with friends and laugh her face off. That reminder came in the form of a never-before-seen photo of Meghan shared by her Suits co-star, and the Duchess of Sussex looks so carefree in that moment that it’s enough to make a person nostalgic for her old life, when she could go out with friends without stirring up too much attention.

Meghan Markle starred as paralegal Rachel Zane for seven seasons on the USA Network series Suits, leaving before the end of the final two seasons when she and Prince Harry got engaged in 2017. Meghan spent much of her time over those seven seasons filming in Canada, far from her home state of California, and appeared to forge some pretty solid friendships with her co-stars when she was working. One of those co-stars, Rick Hoffman, took to Instagram on Sunday to share a photo of him and Meghan from the “good ol’ days,” as he wrote in the caption.

The Duchess of Sussex is laughing as Hoffman seems to be giving a toast. Hoffman’s photo was a poignant reminder of Meghan’s pre-royal days. Of course, royal fans already knew that she valued her Suits friendships enough to invite cast members, including Hoffman, to her royal wedding in May 2018. And now that she and Prince Harry are raising 2-year-old Archie and baby Lilibet “Lili” Diana back in California after stepping away from their senior royal roles, perhaps Meghan will get more chances for wine nights with her friends.

Meghan’s friends on Suits have never forgotten their time with her. Hoffman told The West Australian back in 2018 that Meghan and her co-star Patrick J. Adams were missed after their exits from Suits. “Losing Meghan and Patrick is like losing part of our heart muscle,” he said at the time.

And when she was accused of bullying by a former palace employee in 2021, those friends spoke out in her defense en masse. “I can't tell you the value of having another working mother I can lean on when with [sic] the pressures of visibility & child-rearing woes become overwhelming,” Abigail Spencer wrote via Instagram at the time. “She's always been a safe harbor for me, someone I can fall apart in front of... and with. And I have.”

How lovely to get a glimpse of Markle’s pre-royal life. Full of loyal friends and laughter. May it continue.