Meghan Markle's 'The Gentlemen' Talks Fall Apart as Insiders Accuse Netflix of Publicity Stunt

Despite the failed casting talks, Meghan's acting comeback continues with a 'Close Personal Friends' cameo and her Netflix series 'With Love, Meghan.'

October 19, 2026

Meghan Markle's Name Was 'Used' to Promote 'The Gentlemen' As Guest Starring Talks Called Off — Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Key Takeaways

Meghan Markle will not join Netflix’s The Gentlemen after preliminary talks about a still-unwritten role in the crime drama’s third season ended.
Sources in Meghan’s circle suspect Netflix leaked the early discussions to promote season two, calling it “the oldest marketing trick in the book,” though neither side commented on the accusation.
The former Suits star has nonetheless resumed acting with a cameo in Close Personal Friends and remains active at Netflix through With Love, Meghan.

Meghan Markle won't be joining Netflix's The Gentlemen after all, and people close to the Duchess of Sussex are questioning whether Netflix used her name to drum up publicity for the show's second season before any deal was close to being finalized.

According to People, sources in Meghan's circle believe Netflix benefited from reports linking the former Suits star to the Guy Ritchie crime drama, even though discussions about a potential role in its third season were still preliminary.

"Some people in her camp feel she was used to help promote season two, because they knew it wasn't as good as the first season and had already commissioned a third," one insider told the outlet.

The source went further, describing what they believe happened behind the scenes: "It's the oldest marketing trick in the book: get a big name to read a script, then leak that you're 'in conversation' with them when, in reality, nothing is particularly far along."

However, a source close to The Gentlemen production disputed the allegation, telling The Times, "This is not a show in need of stunt casting."

Neither Netflix nor Meghan's representatives immediately responded to People's requests for comment on October 18.

Still, the timing helps explain why the reported talks attracted attention. The Gentlemen, starring Theo James and Kaya Scodelario, returned for its second season on Sept. 3. Netflix had already renewed the British crime series for a third installment, and production preparations were underway while scripts remained unfinished.

Around that same time, Meghan was reportedly in the "very early stages" of discussions about joining the cast. Her prospective character was still being written, leaving the size of any potential appearance uncertain.

Her involvement would have marked a major comeback to scripted television. Meghan spent seven seasons playing Rachel Zane on Suits before leaving the series ahead of her 2018 marriage to Prince Harry.

Although she told Variety in 2022 that she was "done" with acting, she has since changed her mind.

Meghan has filmed a cameo for the upcoming movie Close Personal Friends, starring Lily Collins and Jack Quaid, and sources previously told People that she was interested in exploring additional acting opportunities.

She's also remained active in entertainment through her Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan, which debuted in 2025, produced two seasons and a holiday special, and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy.

The canceled Gentlemen discussions come as Meghan and Harry establish a new chapter in Britain.

The couple returned to the U.K. in August with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, while maintaining their Montecito residence.

More recently, the Sussexes made a joint public visit to Nottingham, reconnecting with youth organizations and community groups they have supported since their early years together.