Patrick J. Adams worked with then-Meghan Markle on Suits for seven seasons. On-screen, they were love interests, and off-screen, they became good friends. When Meghan married Prince Harry, she invited Patrick and almost all of the tight-knit Suits cast to her wedding. All of her friends and coworkers seemed so pleased for her, and there was evidence that those friends and work colleagues were quietly supporting her behind the scenes and simply trying to avoid getting dragged into the psychodrama playing out in the British media. Now that Meghan and Harry are speaking out to Oprah, her friends feel free to speak out too. Patrick was one of the first to get the ball rolling on Friday, at the end of a week which saw the British royal family, British media and British establishment line up to launch one of the most half-assed smear campaigns and oppo-dumps I’ve ever seen. Patrick did this as a Twitter thread, so I’ll just cut-and-paste to make it more concise:

Meghan Markle and I spent the better part of a decade working together on Suits. From day one she was an enthusiastic, kind, cooperative, giving, joyful and supportive member of our television family. She remained that person and colleague as fame, prestige and power accrued. She has always been a powerful woman with a deep sense of morality and a fierce work ethic and has never been afraid to speak up, be heard and defend herself and those she holds dear. Like the rest of the world, I have watched her navigate the last few years in astonishment.

She fell in love, moved to a new country, became a household name across the entire globe and began the difficult work of trying to find her place in a family dynamic that can at best be described as complicated and at worst, seemingly archaic and toxic.

It sickened me to read the endless racist, slanderous, clickbaiting vitriol spewed in her direction from all manner of media across the UK and the world but I also knew that Meghan was stronger than people realized or understood and they would regret underestimating her.

And then they welcomed Archie. And on any sort of decent planet that would be a time to stop sharpening the knives and let these two people enjoy the magical early months and years of starting a family. But we don’t live on that planet and instead the hunt continued.

It’s OBSCENE that the Royal Family, who’s newest member is currently GROWING INSIDE OF HER, is promoting and amplifying accusations of “bullying” against a woman who herself was basically forced to flee the UK in order [to] protect her family and her own mental health. IMO, this newest chapter and it’s timing is just another stunning example of the shamelessness of an institution that has outlived its relevance, is way overdrawn on credibility and apparently bankrupt of decency.

Find someone else to admonish, berate and torment. My friend Meghan is way out of your league.

[From Patrick Adams’ Twitter]

I think I love him? What a great guy. I’ve been thinking about this royal situation so much and how it’s “playing” in North America and the UK. It’s one thing to believe that we here in America love Meghan because she’s one of us, an American girl. But something else that should not be underestimated is how much support Harry is getting from other men, men who are horrified that a pregnant woman has been and is being abused, bullied, smeared and maligned. That’s what Patrick’s tweet-rant reminded me of – how so many men understand why Harry did what he had to do to protect Meghan and their family, and why Meghan and Harry are speaking out now.

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