Meghan Markle has reportedly been removed from consideration for a role in Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen, only days after the possibility of her joining the show first emerged.
Royal biographer Tina Brown said the proposed casting had been withdrawn following an intense response in the UK.
Brown shared the update Saturday through her Fresh Hell Substack.
“I learned this morning that the casting of Meghan Markle in season 3 of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series ‘The Gentlemen’ has been withdrawn,” Brown wrote.
The Hollywood Reporter first detailed Brown’s comments.
Her account brought the prospective role to a swift halt shortly after reports suggested that Markle was in early discussions about joining the series.
Brown directly linked the withdrawal to the reaction in the UK.
She also presented the development as a troubling sign for Markle’s potential return to acting there.
“The backlash in the UK was so intense, it became untenable to go forward. This does not bode well for Meghan’s acting comeback in the UK.”
Brown is the former editor in chief of Vanity Fair and the New Yorker.
Fox News noted that her knowledge of both the entertainment industry and the British Royal Family is well established.
The London born career journalist is also a best selling author.
Her books include 2007’s The Diana Chronicles and 2022’s The Palace Papers.
Before Brown reported that the idea had been withdrawn, the Duchess of Sussex had been in early talks to appear in a third season of The Gentlemen.
That season has not yet been announced.
Ritchie’s program is a British action comedy series produced for Netflix.
The possibility of Markle becoming involved had attracted attention because it could have marked her return to acting.
Markle first gained public attention through her portrayal of lawyer Rachel Zane in the American legal drama Suits.
She appeared across seven seasons of the series.
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The discussions surrounding The Gentlemen also arrived as Markle and Harry were reportedly preparing to relocate their family from the U.S. to England.
Their move is planned for later this month.
The Daily Telegraph and the Sun newspapers first reported the relocation plans.
According to those reports, the couple intends to live in a private residence outside London rather than a Royal residence.
The planned move is expected to include the couple’s two children.
Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are set to accompany Markle and Harry to England.
Both children are enrolled to begin attending a British school when the new academic year starts in September.
The family is expected to complete the move by the end of the month.
At the same time, Netflix is expected to issue its commissioning announcements next week.
The reported withdrawal means Markle is no longer under consideration for the prospective role, according to Brown’s account.
The rapid reversal came only days after the original possibility was raised.
Brown characterized the UK response as too intense for the proposed casting to continue.
The development leaves the anticipated third season of The Gentlemen unannounced and Markle’s possible involvement withdrawn.
It also undercuts the immediate prospect of an acting comeback in the UK as she prepares for the reported family relocation.
