UPDATEMeghan in early talks for role in Netflix's The Gentlemen Picture courtesy of Yahoo The Duchess of Sussex is in talks to return to acting with a role in Netflix’s The Gentlemen, the BBC has learned. The discussions are understood to be at an early stage, and the potential part would mark Meghan’s first major acting work since she married Prince Harry. The series is created by Guy Ritchie and follows a duke who becomes involved in the drug trade. Early-Stage TalksThe BBC understands that details of any offer, including the nature of the role, have not been disclosed. It also remains unclear when any decision would be reached or when production might begin. Much of The Gentlemen has been filmed in the Cotswolds, an area in which it has been rumoured Harry and Meghan plan to base themselves when they return to the UK later this month. The series stars Theo James as the lead character. Hugh Bonneville and Vinnie Jones have both appeared in earlier instalments. Meghan’s Acting ComebackMeghan is best known for her role in the US legal drama Suits, in which she played lawyer Rachel Zane for seven seasons. Her final episode aired in 2018, after which she stepped back from acting following her marriage in May 2018. At the time, she told the BBC she did not see leaving the profession as “giving anything up”, describing it instead as “a new chapter”. She has since returned to acting only briefly. Earlier this year, she appeared in a cameo as herself in the forthcoming comedy Close Personal Friends, which stars Lily Collins and Brie Larson. It is understood to be her first on-screen appearance in nearly a decade. A return to acting could also complement her wider business activity. While the duchess is based in the UK, she is understood to want to grow the global reach of her US lifestyle and cooking brand, As Ever. Move To The UK And Security ReviewThe possibility of Meghan returning to acting comes as Prince Harry and Meghan prepare to move back to the UK, after reports that the couple intend to relocate from the US later this month to a private residence outside London. Their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are enrolled to start at a British school in September. There are currently no plans for either Prince Harry or Meghan to resume duties as working royals. The move follows a trip by the couple in July to visit King Charles III at his Highgrove home in Gloucestershire. It was the King’s first in-person meeting with his grandchildren in more than four years, and the first visit to the UK by the pair together since 2022. The couple’s return has also renewed questions about how publicly funded security would work in Britain. Their security arrangement was changed after they stopped being working royals in 2020 and moved to the US, where they have funded their own protection. The Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), an independent body overseen by the Home Office, is now expected to make a new decision about security arrangements because previous arrangements were based on the Sussexes not living in the UK on a permanent basis. Join the discussion? 22 August 2026
