The Duchess of Sussex’s reported casting in Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen has been withdrawn, multiple reports said. Tina Brown, the former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, wrote on Saturday that she had learned the casting of Meghan Markle for season three had been pulled. Brown said the backlash in the UK had become so intense that continuing the plan was no longer feasible, according to her post. The move follows reports from the previous day that Markle was in talks about returning to acting in the series. Variety said she had been in discussions to join the third season, which has not yet received an official green light. Netflix Series Casting DecisionThe Gentlemen is a spin-off of the 2019 crime comedy film of the same name. That film starred Matthew McConaughey and Charlie Hunnam, with Ritchie serving as creator of the project as well. The Netflix series has been connected to discussion of Markle’s involvement as part of its next season, although no confirmation about the casting had been published beyond the reported talks and subsequent withdrawal. Her Acting CreditsMarkle first became well known for playing Rachel Zane in the legal drama Suits, which ran for seven seasons. Her television work after Suits has included appearances in series such as CSI: NY and 90210. In film, she has had small roles, including in the comedy Horrible Bosses and the 2015 crime thriller Anti-Social. She also starred in two Hallmark movies, When Sparks Fly and Dater’s Handbook. More recently, Markle filmed a cameo appearance playing herself in the Amazon comedy Close Personal Friends alongside Brie Larson and Jack Quaid, according to previously reported details. Sussex Return To Britain And Netflix DealsThe reported casting developments come as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex plan to return to live in Britain this month, understood to be six years after they left for the United States. The couple and their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are expected to move to a property believed to be outside London. King Charles was reportedly told last Sunday that his son and daughter-in-law intended to return to Britain. Last year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a fresh multi-year film and television deal with Netflix. Their original five-year agreement, struck in 2020 and reportedly worth $100m (£78m), produced multiple projects. One of Markle’s main releases with the streaming service was the lifestyle series With Love, Meghan, which received negative reviews from some critics. The Guardian’s Chitra Ramaswamy, in a one-star review, said the show was “toe-curling stuff”, according to the report. Join the discussion? 23 August 2026
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