Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have faced fresh criticism on GB News, where the Duchess of Sussex's reported return to acting was described as a “cynical PR ploy”. The couple's plans to come back to the United Kingdom have been called into question during a live discussion on the programme.
Reported role and backlash
Journalist James Rampton expressed his frustration on the show as he examined how the couple's move could “backfire”. He noted that reports of Meghan taking a role in a Guy Ritchie series called The Gentlemen were premature, as the show “hasn’t even been commissioned for a new series yet”.
Rampton suggested the story may have been leaked by Meghan's PR team to boost her popularity. He said: “The suggestion is the story might have been leaked by her PR people. I’m shocked and horrified. In order to boost her popularity and make it seem like she’s in demand. Insiders have dismissed it as a ‘cynical PR ploy’.”
Risk of backfiring
He warned that such tactics often have unintended consequences: “The thing is, with PR ploys, they can so easily backfire and come and bite you on the unmentionables. I think this is another example where Meghan and Harry have attempted to control the narrative and it’s run out of their control and ended up harming them.”
Host Alex Armstrong offered a different perspective, suggesting the role might have been genuine and in advanced stages. He said: “Would it have been that bad if she’d appeared in a TV show? She is an actress, after all, they are private citizens.”
Netflix speculation
Dawn Neesom added her own theory about Netflix's involvement, noting that the streaming service had previously ended its contract with the Sussexes. She said: “The Gentlemen is made by Netflix. Meghan and Harry were under contract with Netflix, when Netflix decided they weren’t worth all the money they were paying them, so I do wonder whether Netflix have more to do with this than we know about.”
She speculated that Netflix might have blocked Meghan's participation in the series, adding: “Maybe Netflix are going, ‘Oh no not her again, thought we’d got rid of her’, and maybe they have said, ‘Look, The Gentlemen will go ahead, but we don’t want her in it’. I don’t know.”
