Meghan Markle has faced another setback as reports emerged that her deal to appear in The Gentlemen has fallen through. GB News presenter Nana Akua was joined by royal and entertainment journalist Sarah-Louise Robertson to discuss the news.
According to reports, Meghan, 45, was being lined up to star in the third season of Guy Ritchie's Netflix series if it was to be renewed. However, the offer for the former Suits actress was reportedly withdrawn after the decision sparked major backlash.
Panel suggests Meghan has been 'Markled'
During the discussion, Sarah-Louise declared: "I think Meghan Markle might just have been Markled. I think she's just Markled herself!" She claimed that Meghan's team were behind the "leak" that Prince Harry and Meghan's return to the UK is partly because she had "landed the role" in The Gentlemen.
Sarah-Louise continued: "Season three hasn't even been renewed yet. We're waiting for season two which is about to drop next month in September."
"Yet, whispers were coming from sources close to Meghan to say that she had been in advanced talks for a role which Guy Ritchie himself was supposedly creating and writing for her."
"It all sounded a bit premature and a bit confident."
Netflix bosses said to have 'cold feet'
She explained that former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown, whom she described as "one of the most well-placed women in society", claimed the backlash surrounding the rumour had left Netflix bosses with "cold feet", prompting them to rescind the offer.
Sarah-Louise couldn't resist taking a swipe at Meghan's former career, saying: "Did she really have that many acting skills? What did she have, a big part in Suits? A drama from years ago that everyone's forgotten."
Guy Ritchie's perspective
She acknowledged that Ritchie is close friends with Prince Harry and argued that the director won't be bothered by the rumours surrounding Meghan joining the cast, as the speculation has generated publicity ahead of its return next month.
"I think Guy Ritchie doesn't mind that there's all these rumours and all this talk around Meghan joining the show, because actually, all that does is get people talking about his show," she remarked.
"I think from his side, he's looking at it from a marketing perspective and if you've got people talking about the show, it doesn't matter if it's negative or positive, who it is, you've got people talking about the show."
What happens next
Sarah-Louise said she believes no one from the director's team will speak out on the matter, but suggested it remains to be seen whether another story emerges from Meghan's side, perhaps claiming that she was never in talks to join the show in the first place.
