Sources close to Meghan Markle claim the Duchess of Sussex was "used" to promote the Netflix series The Gentlemen, after it emerged that she was in advanced talks to join the cast for the show's third series.
The Duchess had been widely reported to be making a full-time return to acting on the series, having found fame playing Rachel Zane on the US legal drama Suits. Since stepping down as senior working royals in January 2020, Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, have lived a financially independent lifestyle and worked with the streaming giant Netflix on several projects.
However, after it emerged that the Sussexes would be returning to live in the UK, it was reported that Meghan was in talks to appear in The Gentlemen. Now, those said to be close to the Duchess claim she feels "used" by the show, but any hopes of seeing her in the Guy Ritchie drama were recently shot down.
Claims of a marketing tactic
"Some people in her camp feel she was used to help promote season two, because they knew it wasn't as good as the first season and had already commissioned a third [series]," a source told The Telegraph. The source went on to add: "It's the oldest marketing trick in the book: get a big name to read a script, then leak that you're 'in conversation' with them when, in reality, nothing is particularly far along."
"The whole thing left a bit of a sour taste in the Sussex camp's mouth. Needless to say, Netflix got what it wanted: huge viewing figures for season two and a lot of publicity."
Viewing figures from Barb, the official ratings agency, show that audiences dropped by around 15 per cent from the first series' debut episode, which was streamed by 3.5 million people in March 2024. These figures declined by 500,000 for the latest series.
Guy Ritchie's response and Suits reunion talks
But it appears that director Guy Ritchie wasn't impressed with the talks about Meghan joining the cast. "Really?" was Guy's first response after hearing of the speculation. A source told The Sun that the 58-year-old went on to rule out any future appearances by Meghan. He is reported to have said: "Not a chance."
Meanwhile, the Express reports that the Duchess will be offered a staggering £3.7 million to return to her role as Rachel Zane. It's claimed that NBCUniversal is ready to spend a "substantial budget" to reunite Meghan with her former castmates, seven years after the show ended.
"Everything is beginning to fit in place and shooting the whole thing at a major UK studio is actually a smart financial move as well as being convenient for Meghan," a source said of making a special episode of the show. The source went on to add: "It's way too soon to say if a Suits reunion would reignite an entire new series, but that's clearly the hope of Patrick and several of the show's other leading cast members."
Return to acting
The Duchess recently returned to acting for the first time in nearly a decade with a cameo as herself in the upcoming comedy Close Personal Friends, which stars Lily Collins and Brie Larson. Although she has returned to the screen, it's said she will be playing herself in the Amazon MGM Studios film, which focuses on two couples, one of whom is famous and the other not.
The Mirror has approached a spokesperson for the Duchess and Netflix.
