Published: 19:45 BST, 22 August 2026 | Updated: 05:31 BST, 23 August 2026
Meghan Markle’s return to acting has reportedly been ‘cancelled’ amid critism over plans to cast her in the third season of The Gentlemen.
Royal author Tina Brown claimed last night that an offer for the Duchess of Sussex to appear in Guy Ritchie’s hit Netflix show had been withdrawn after the reaction in Britain became too ‘intense’.
Ms Brown said: ‘I learned that the casting of Meghan Markle has been withdrawn. The backlash was so intense it became untenable to go forward.’
In her ‘Fresh Hell’ Substack newsletter, the author wrote: ‘This does not bode well for Meghan’s acting comeback.’
Just four years ago, Meghan insisted she had no plans to return to acting. In 2022, she told Variety magazine: ‘I’m done. I guess never say never but my intention is to absolutely not.’
Now, however, her return to the screen has been touted by sources ‘close to the duchess’ as one of the reasons she and Prince Harry are returning to Britain.
But commentators have suggested that any acting role for Meghan and a subsequent return to the spotlight could be problematic both for the Sussexes and the Royal Family in general.
Baroness Wheatcroft, speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, said: ‘The first thing any actress wants is publicity and Meghan may be a good actress. She is certainly going to be offered roles but she has to be very careful when the inevitable interviews come along not to embarrass the royals.’
Meghan Markle's much-touted return to acting has been 'cancelled' it has been claimed
In 2022, Meghan said she had no plans to return to acting, however, earlier this week sources close to her said she was in 'advance discussions' to star in season three of the hit show
Before marrying Harry, Meghan enjoyed a successful seven-season run as Rachel Zane in the legal drama Suits. She reportedly earned around $40,000 per episode by the time her final episode aired in April 2018 – just one month before she walked down the aisle at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
Meghan has a small cameo in the upcoming film Close Personal Friends, starring Brie Larson and Lily Collins. But a source connected with the project described the appearance to The Mail on Sunday as little more than fleeting. A role in Ritchie’s The Gentlemen would have marked a far more significant return to acting.
Netflix declined to comment while a spokesman for the duchess refused to confirm or deny that the offer had been withdrawn.
The possibility of Meghan appearing in the show emerged last week with sources claiming she was in ‘advanced discussions’ about joining the third season.
