'Suits' Ratings DROP As Prince Harry & Meghan Markle's Relationship Heats Up
Suits returned for the first time since Meghan Markle confirmed her controversial relationship with Prince Harry, but viewers didn't tune in to watch the royal's girlfriend on the small screen. Ratings for the USA show plummeted for the mid-season six premiere.
The episode, which aired on Wednesday, January 25, brought in 1,374,000 viewers compared to the 1,848,000 who tuned in for the season six premiere, TV by the Numbers reports.
Despite the crash in ratings, the show has been signed for season seven.
The dip doesn't come as a surprise, as Markle, 35, has come under fire in recent months for her shocking romance with the royal.
The backlash Markle received because of her race, past divorce and age forced Prince Harry, 32, to release a statement defending his girlfriend.
"The past week has seen a line crossed," he wrote. "Meghan Markle has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public — the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments."
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But Markle continues to be surrounded by scandal, as her brother, Thomas Markle Jr., 50, was arrested and charged with holding a gun to a woman's head after a drunken argument at his home on January 12.
The crime is causing outrage among the royal family, as RadarOnline.com exclusively revealed Prince Charles told his son to dump her!
"It was the last straw for Charles and Camilla," an insider told RadarOnline.com. "Harry's been explicitly told to stay away from controversy as he moves from hard-partying playboy to hardworking royal."
The source added, "But it seems he's caught up in one scandal after another involving Meghan. Harry doesn't care. He is totally in love with her and desperate to marry her."
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