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Meghan Markle is no longer in talks to join "The Gentlemen," with friends alleging she was "used to help promote" the Netflix series.
Royal experts told Fox News Digital that the Duchess of Sussex's "safety net" with Netflix "is gone" as uncertainty surrounding her relationship with the streaming service threatens to derail her acting comeback before it even gets off the ground.
"Harry and Meghan's champion inside Netflix, Bela Bajaria, has recently left the streaming service," British broadcaster Helena Chard told Fox News Digital. "The previous safety net is gone. Unfortunately for Meghan, she may want to jump straight into a top acting role, but there is far more stacked against it happening."
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speaks onstage during the 2025 TIME100 Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 23, 2025, in New York City. Sources close to the duchess told The Telegraph she is no longer in talks to join "The Gentlemen" on Netflix. (2025 Getty Images)
Variety reported Bajaria was leaving Netflix after nearly 10 years with the company. According to the outlet, around 1,000 employees were laid off.
Bajaria was leaving Netflix after nearly 10 years with the company.
"What I find most revealing is that Meghan's camp now appears comfortable publicly criticizing Netflix," Kinsey Schofield, host of "Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered," told Fox News Digital.
Bela Bajaria, then-chief content officer at Netflix, attends the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles, on Feb. 23, 2025. (Getty Images)
"This was one of their most important commercial partners. You don't typically throw a company under the bus when you're counting on them to finance your next big project. To me, this is the clearest indication yet that their relationship with Netflix has effectively come to an end."
The Duchess of Sussex was reportedly under consideration for a role in the third season of Guy Ritchie's Netflix drama following her move back to the U.K. with Prince Harry. However, sources close to Meghan have accused Netflix of leaking news of her potential involvement to boost publicity for the show.
"Some people in her camp feel she was used to help promote Season 2, because they knew it wasn't as good as the first season and had already commissioned a third," one source told The Telegraph.
Theo James attends "The Gentlemen" U.K. series global premiere at the Theatre Royal in London on March 5, 2024. (Anadolu via Getty Images)
"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. The whole thing left a bit of a sour taste in the Sussex camp's mouth. Needless to say, Netflix got what it wanted: huge viewing figures for Season 2 and a lot of publicity."
Meghan Markle’s return to acting comes after a series of post-royal ventures, including her Netflix lifestyle series, "With Love, Meghan." (Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Archewell and Netflix for comment.
Schofield told Fox News Digital she wouldn't be surprised if Meghan's relationship with Netflix had soured.
Meghan Markle's As Ever spread is seen here. (As Ever)
"Netflix has already withdrawn from its investment in As Ever," Schofield said. "Meghan herself credited Bajaria with recognizing the television potential in her homemade gifts. She told the TIME100 Summit that 'With Love, Meghan,' her lifestyle show, was Bajaria's idea."
Meghan Markle is reportedly eyeing a return to acting after years spent building a new identity outside the royal family. (Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images)
"Now, after Bajaria's departure, we're hearing accusations that Netflix exploited Meghan for publicity," Schofield said. "Does that sound like a relationship with a promising future? I suspect Meghan's camp feels comfortable criticizing Netflix because there's nothing left to protect."
A source close to Netflix has pushed back on the accusations, telling The Times, "This is not a show in need of stunt casting."
Guy Ritchie attends "The Gentlemen" Season 2 world premiere at Guildhall on Sept. 2, 2026, in London, England. (Getty Images)
A Netflix consultant who worked closely with Bajaria told The Times that Meghan and Harry's relationship with the streaming service has been called into question.
Meghan Markle was previously the host of a lifestyle series on Netflix titled "With Love, Meghan." (Jake Rosenberg/Netflix © 2025)
"Effectively, their biggest champion has gone, and they are uncertain about who will be shouting for their cause in the future," the source said. "Teams at the company were well aware of how she was fiercely loyal to the couple and determined to prove they were a successful signing, even when the response from viewers was different."
"The Gentlemen," which is set in the U.K., was renewed for a third season in August. Deadline previously reported that talks about Meghan joining the cast were in the "very early stages," while The Hollywood Reporter reported that the role "is currently being written, so it's unclear how many episodes she would appear in."
Meghan Markle on the red carpet for "Suits," circa 2015. (Mike Coppola/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that Meghan "did nothing to thwart all the speculation" sooner, noting that Netflix also did not issue a statement to address the casting rumors.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Hollywood dreams are in jeopardy as they face a brand crisis over collapsed deals and fading public interest, according to royal experts. (Aaron Chown/PA Images)
"They benefited from the additional coverage even if, as they claim, it wasn't needed," Fordwich said. "Such a high-profile show would have been a high-profile win for Meghan."
In March 2026, Netflix and Meghan announced the end of their partnership involving her lifestyle brand, As Ever, with the Duchess of Sussex moving forward independently. As Ever launched in 2025, about a month after the premiere of "With Love, Meghan." The show released two seasons and a holiday special in 2025. Reports in January 2026 indicated that it would not return for a third season.
Meghan Markle, a former American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married Prince Harry, a British prince, in 2018. (Ben Stansall-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Harry and Meghan first partnered with Netflix in 2020 under a deal reportedly worth $100 million. Their projects included the 2022 series "Harry & Meghan" and "Live to Lead," 2023's "Heart of Invictus" and 2024's "Polo." Although reports in July 2025 suggested the original agreement would not be renewed, Netflix announced a new multiyear, first-look deal with Archewell Productions in August 2025.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Nicole Avant, and Ted Sarandos attend Netflix's "BEEF" Season 2 Montecito Tastemaker at a private residence on April 10, 2026, in Montecito, California. (Stefanie Keenan)
According to The Times, Netflix previously scrapped an animated project from the couple, while little has been reported about their planned film adaptations of the war memoir "No Way Out" and the romance novels "Meet Me at the Lake" and "The Wedding Date."
It is unclear whether Netflix will pick up a potential documentary about Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, ahead of the 30th anniversary of her death in 2027. People magazine reported that Harry is exploring projects, but no documentary has been finalized or confirmed.
Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing a cream lace gown with a scalloped neckline designed by Murray Arbeid and the Lover's Knot diamond and pearl tiara, smiles as she attends a dinner at the British Ambassador's Residence in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 11, 1985. (Getty Images)
"'The Gentlemen' is an established Guy Ritchie production with its own audience," Schofield said. "The suggestion that Netflix needed Meghan to rescue its viewing figures is quite a claim from someone whose own lifestyle series struggled to become a mainstream hit."
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to the U.K. six years after leaving for California. (Getty Images)
"Meghan's royal connections might get her into the room, but they don't guarantee her a successful acting career. At some point, the work has to speak for itself."
Before marrying Harry in 2018, Meghan played Rachel Zane in "Suits" for seven seasons. In 2022, Meghan told Variety that she was "done" with acting. She has since filmed a cameo in the upcoming film "Close Personal Friends," which stars Lily Collins and Jack Quaid.
Alysa Nahmias and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, attend a special screening of Roadside Attractions' "Cookie Queens" at AMC The Grove 14 in Los Angeles on July 28, 2026. (Roadside Attractions via Getty Images)
Sources told People magazine that Meghan and Harry have been discussing her return to acting "for some time." The outlet reported that Meghan is "excited" about returning to the profession and is exploring opportunities.
Meghan Markle attends the Womenswear Spring-Summer 2026 show during Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 5, 2025, in Paris, France. (Andrea Cremascoli/Getty Images)
"Meghan Markle has repeatedly told us she was finished with acting," Schofield said. "During her 2017 engagement interview, she said she'd 'ticked this box.' Now, after six years in Hollywood and several attempts to reinvent herself, she's now reportedly entertaining a return to the profession she so confidently walked away from. Sure, a role in an established Guy Ritchie production would have given her an opportunity to change the conversation about her professional accomplishments. But I also think the timing of the story is revealing."
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, attends the Balenciaga Womenswear Spring/Summer 2026 show during Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 4, 2025, in Paris, France. (Getty Images for Balenciaga)
"Harry and Meghan had just returned to Britain, a move that could easily be interpreted as an acknowledgment that their Hollywood ambitions hadn't worked out," Schofield said. "Suddenly, we're hearing about Meghan's potential acting comeback. The Sussexes seem determined to turn every bit of publicity into a much larger PR strategy. The problem is that their PR ambitions continue to outpace their professional accomplishments."
Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner believes Meghan's desire to return to acting, whether in Hollywood or the U.K., is genuine.
Actress Meghan Markle visits AOL Studios in New York City on March 17, 2016. (FilmMagic/Getty Images)
"The role which brought her to fame in ‘Suits’ proves she is an actress of quality," he said. "If she wanted to return to acting, which I believe is still a passion, then she could bring great credit to any production."
Bajaria's departure amid layoffs at Netflix raises further questions about the future of Harry and Meghan's projects with the streaming service.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, participates in a Scar Tree Walk in Melbourne, Australia, on April 16, 2026, during a four-day visit with the Duke of Sussex. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)
"I suspect Harry and Meghan recognized that their Hollywood experiment wasn't delivering the success they expected," Schofield said. "Their return to Britain gives them something Los Angeles can't offer — proximity to the monarchy."
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