A host of Meghan Markle’s nearest and dearest feature on her new Netflix show including her close pal Abigail Spencer – and here we take a look at exactly how they formed their tight bond

Meghan Markle set tongues wagging when she announced her new Instagram account for her new eight-part cookery show. The Duchess of Sussex’s latest series, With Love, Meghan, features famous faces from the royal’s inner circle, including her former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer.

Abigail, who played Dana ‘Scottie’ Scott in the legal drama which put Meghan’s name on the map, is one of 11 guests to appear on the programme. In one clip, Abigail’s seen tucking into one of Meghan’s desserts while talking about their time together. But just how close are the two women, and how far back do they go? Here, we take a closer look at Meghan’s relationship with Abigail.

Netflix viewers have been looking forward to Meghan’s new documentary series ( 
ImageAbigail, 43, born in Florida, described Meghan, also 43, as “one of my dearest friends” in an interview with E! News at Michael Kors’ New York Fashion Week last year. She added: “She’s the most wonderful. One of my dearest friends.”

The actresses have known each other for almost two decades, having first met at an audition in 2007. During an appearance on the Kelly Clarkson show last March, Abigail revealed: “It was 2007, I was doing a pilot for NBC, and I went to read with the people who were supposed to play my best friend. They were testing other actresses. I walk in, I see this beautiful gorgeous creature at the end of the table and I’m like, ‘Who is that?'”

She continued: “We had an immediate something, you know? And her name is Meghan Markle.”

The two women worked alongside each other in the legal drama Suit ( 
Image:
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
The star said she bonded with Meghan after soon realising they shared the same birthday – September 4, 1981. Abigail told ET: “We were born on the same day, hours apart, in the same year. [Meghan is] a trusted friend and one of the most glorious people I have ever met.”

The pair filmed Suits together from 2011 to 2019, with Meghan playing the character Rachel Zane. At that time, Abigail even contributed to Meghan’s former lifestyle blog, called The Tig.

Abigail, who has also starred in Mad Men, True Detective and Grey’s Anatomy, opened up about the moment she learned Meghan was dating Prince Harry during an interview for the couple’s 2022 Netflix docuseries, titled Harry & Meghan. She said: “I was screaming because I could tell it was different. It was very clear… That they were going to go to the ends of the earth to be together.

Abigail at Harry and Meghan’s wedding ( 
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Getty Images)

Abigail has always voiced her support of Meghan in interviews ( 
Image:
Instagram/@abigailspencer)Being the supportive friend she is, Abigail has previously addressed how life in the British Royal Family has impacted Meghan. She said how well the couple’s 2018 royal tour had gone before their big day and how the public started to “tear” Meghan down afterwards.

Abigail explained on the Netflix show: “That was a really dark time, and I didn’t know what to do. I was not allowed to say anything. Anything that anybody was printing wasn’t coming from anybody who knew her. There’s all this untruth, there’s all these lies, and it just seemed to be getting worse.”

While it’s impossible to grasp what joining the Royal Family has been like for Meghan, Abigail has previously addressed having ‘royal roots’ herself. When she was asked if she was related to any British Spencers – like the late Princess Diana – Abigail quipped to Parade: “That’s so funny. My grandmother swears [we are], but I’ve never done any digging. I did meet a lot of Spencers [in England] and I am a Spencer, so who knows?