The new Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, has already hit the ground running with her royal duties, but her acting career isn't entirely over yet.
The former actress was submitted to be considered for an Emmy nomination for her performance as Rachel Zane in Suits, a rep from USA Network confirmed to Entertainment Tonight.
The category she's gunning for is Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
According to ET this is nothing out of the ordinary for the USA Network, who has submitted the main cast for consideration every year but none have received a nomination.
Also submitted for the 2018 Emmys are Patrick J. Adams, who portrayed Markle's onscreen husband, Mike Ross, for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, along with Gabriel Macht (Harvey Specter). Rick Hoffman (Louis Litt), Sarah Rafferty (Donna Paulsen), and Gina Torres (Jessica Pearson) have all also been nominated in categories too.
We won't know if the Duchess is an official contender for an Emmy Award until the nominations are announced on July 12.
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The supporting actress in a drama category is extremely competitive. Last year's nominees were: Ann Dowd (The Handmaid's Tale), Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black), Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), Chrissy Metz (This Is Us), Thandie Newton (Westworld), and Samira Wiley (The Handmaid's Tale). Dowd ultimately took home the prize.
Regardless of whether she wins or not, the Duchess of Sussex has still made history as the first royal to be considered for an Emmy, Cosmopolitan points out.
Markle ended her seven-season run on Suits in April. Her final episode, which aired less than a month before she married Prince Harry, also included a fairytale wedding between her and Adams' characters.
The Duchess of Sussex won't be acting anymore, now that she's handling her new royal responsibilities, but she's not bitter about the career change. "I don't see it as giving anything up," she said in her post-engagement interview in November.
"I just see it as a change. It's a new chapter," Markle continued. "And keep in mind I've been working on my show for seven years. We were very fortunate to have that sort of longevity on a series. For me, once we hit the 100 episode marker, I thought, I have ticked this box and I feel really proud of the work we've done there and now it's time to work as a team with [Harry]."
The 2018 Emmy Awards take place on September 17 and will be broadcast on NBC.
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Erica Gonzales is the Deputy Editor, Digital Content at ELLE, where she helps to oversee coverage and strategy. She was previously the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE and an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. She’s probably listening to Lorde right now.
