Duchess of Sussex's casting in The Gentlemen scrapped - report

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex's reported casting in Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen has been withdrawn, according to bestselling royal author Tina Brown.

In a column published on Saturday on Substack, Brown, the former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, wrote, "I learned this morning that the casting of Meghan Markle in season 3 of Guy Ritchie's Netflix series The Gentlemen has been withdrawn.

"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."

The report comes a day after The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the Duchess was in advanced discussions to join season three of The Gentlemen, which films in the UK. Her role was being written for the third season, which has not yet been greenlit.

It was widely reported last week that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were returning to the UK later this month after spending six years in California. Their children Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, have reportedly been enrolled in schools in England, beginning in September.

According to reports, the move is not intended to be permanent, and the family will keep their California home while living in a private, non-royal residence in Britain.

As an actor, the Duchess was best known for playing Rachel Zane on the legal drama Suits between 2011 and 2018.

She will make a cameo as herself in the upcoming comedy Close Personal Friends, starring Brie Larson, Lily Collins and Jack Quaid.