Source : the age
The Duchess of Sussex’s acting role in Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series has been thrown into doubt, The Telegraph understands.
In an about-turn less than 24 hours after the news was revealed, the duchess’s role in the third series of The Gentlemen is reportedly uncertain following a public backlash.
On Friday, it was revealed that she was in advanced discussions to star in the UK-based production after her relocation to Britain with Prince Harry and their two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, at the end of this month.
But Tina Brown, a former editor of Vanity Fair, reported the offer “has been withdrawn due to a public backlash”.
The Telegraph also understands the deal could collapse after public reaction to the revelation, which would have marked a return to acting for the duchess after 10 years.
It is understood that the cold feet are not coming from the team behind The Gentlemen, who anticipated a large public response to the news, but from either Netflix – which declined to comment – or the Sussexes, who have not yet commented.
Sources said the offer of the role, which was only made recently, formed part of the decision-making process in the family relocating to the UK, but was not the sole reason.
After having lived in the US for more than six years, the couple intend to relocate to a private, non-royal residence, thought to be outside London, later this month. The duke and duchess’s status as non-working royals and private individuals will remain unchanged.
In Ritchie’s action series, Theo James, the lead actor, “transitions from duke to drug baron” after inheriting his family’s estate and discovering it is home to an underground cannabis empire. The action-comedy originally aired in 2024, and was Ritchie’s first TV show.
The duchess worked as an actor before meeting Prince Harry, and was best known for her role as lawyer Rachel Zane in seven seasons of the US legal drama Suits. She went on an acting hiatus in 2017 and told the BBC she viewed her career break as “a new chapter” after meeting the duke the year before.
However, she recently returned to the profession with a cameo as herself in forthcoming comedy Close Personal Friends, starring Lily Collins and Brie Larson.
On Friday, it was understood that the duchess was poised to accept the role in The Gentlemen, although it remained unclear how many episodes she would be appearing in the unannounced third series.
A part was believed to be being written for her specifically to enter the series, which starts its second season next month.
If she were to take on a role in the series, it would mark the latest project in long-standing ties between the duchess and Netflix.
The streaming giant was a commercial partner for her US-based lifestyle brand As Ever, which she plans to continue running from the UK, and was the host of the unscripted show promoting the brand called With Love, Meghan.
After stepping down as working royals in 2020, the duke and duchess initially had a five-year deal with Netflix, worth a reported $US100 million ($140 million).
However, the deal collapsed last year amid reports published in Variety that the relationship between key executives in the company and the couple had soured.
During their initial deal, the couple produced a six-part documentary on their life after leaving the royal family, titled Harry & Meghan, and a polo documentary as well as the duchess’s lifestyle show, which was critically panned and failed to make the top 1000 most-watched programs on the streaming platform.
Their production company, Archewell Productions, now maintains a “first look” deal with the streaming giant, and in April the duchess was pictured holding hands with the wife of Ted Sarandos at a party hosted by the Netflix boss.
Representatives of the duchess have been contacted for comment.
The Telegraph, London
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