Royal author Tina Brown has claimed that Meghan Markle's proposed role in Guy Ritchie's Netflix series The Gentlemen is off, citing a public backlash against the Duchess of Sussex.
Ms Brown, who previously wrote an unauthorised biography about the former Suits actress, wrote on X: "I have heard that Meghan Markle’s role in Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen is OFF. Public backlash was too fierce. This does not bode well for Meghan’s acting comeback in the UK."
Role reportedly scrapped after backlash
The Duchess of Sussex had been linked with a role as a temptress character in the third series of the comedy drama, which follows an aristocratic family who turn to crime and features Ray Winstone as a drug lord.
The speculation followed the announcement that Meghan and her husband Prince Harry, 41, are returning to live in the UK with their children Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five. They have reportedly found a family home and schools for their children, with Harry said to be keen for his father, King Charles, to develop a relationship with his grandchildren.
Meghan's acting background
Meghan, who appeared on MasterChef Australia last month, made her name as Rachel Zane in the US legal drama Suits before leaving in 2017. She has also appeared in shows such as CSI: Miami and last year filmed a cameo as herself for the comedy film Close Personal Friends with Lily Collins and Brie Larson.
It had been reported Meghan was excited by the prospect of the role, which would have been written specifically for her, after meeting director Ritchie through mutual acquaintances.
Impact on Sussexes' plans
The claim comes as a blow to the Sussexes, who made their autobiographical documentary Harry & Meghan with Netflix in 2024. The streaming giant also aired their documentary Polo.
Ms Brown, who previously edited Vanity Fair and The New Yorker before writing books about the royals, including The Diana Chronicles in 2007, had written in The Times on Saturday about the couple's move, including Meghan's apparent new job.
She wrote: "It was always the best option for Meghan to return to acting, something she was genuinely good at until she threw it in to marry Harry. In 2023, when replays of her old hit cable show Suits were inexplicably all the rage on Netflix, it would have been a legitimate pop culture sensation and a major payday if she had let her agents pitch her for a reboot.
"But no. Duchesses don’t do ensembles. Meghan believed she could pull off some kind of manic multihyphenate mishmash of entertainment enterprises in between accompanying her husband on ersatz royal tours to promote random global uplift."
Ms Brown added: "As Martha Stewart noted: 'If you’re an actress, it’s hard to then transition to a princess and then from a princess into a homemaking guru on a television show. It doesn’t sort of follow.'"
It is understood Meghan, who is said to have toured schools in the Cotswolds during a recent visit to the UK, will continue to run her lifestyle brand As Ever from the UK and hopes to expand it globally.
