Meghan could be 'casualty' of shake-up by new Netflix boss who wants to abandon 'royal-linked vanity projects' - as war of words continues over duchess's on-off role in The Gentlemen

Netflix is set to shun 'royal-linked vanity projects' in a move that could see the Duchess of Sussex's rumoured involvement in The Gentleman become a 'casualty' of a shake-up.

The streamer’s new chief content officer Peter Rice is expected to take a markedly different approach to his predecessor Bela Bajaria, who was seen as Meghan and Harry’s biggest champion within the firm.

Ms Bajaria was ousted from her role after a decade last week, a period which saw the production of 2022’s Harry & Meghan series as well as With Love, Meghan, which came out last year.

'There will be major casualties. He [Rice] is charged with finding the next Stranger Things or Emily In Paris, rather than some royal-linked vanity project,' a Netflix source said.

Meghan is reportedly determined to return to acting while continuing to run her As Ever business, but the row over Guy Ritchie's hit series is said to have left her 'very cautious' about considering further scripts.

She is said to feel 'used' by those behind The Gentlemen, following speculation that she could join the cast, with the rumour emerging just four days before the Sussexes moved back to the UK.

Guy Ritchie was said to have held preliminary talks with Meghan, although he apparently responded 'really?' and 'not a chance' when asked about the prospect of the former Suits actress appearing in the show.

Last night, a source close to the production bluntly insisted the series did not need 'stunt casting' to succeed, after stars including Theo James and Ray Winstone appeared incredulous at suggestions Meghan could join a future series.

Meghan is said to have been hurt by the episode and now plans to be more selective about scripts, amid concerns that producers could use the prospect of her involvement as a PR coup to generate interest.

However, Netflix is still expected to want to bid for Harry's rumoured documentary about his mother, Princess Diana, ahead of the 30th anniversary of her death next year.

The will-she-won't-she speculation over Meghan's potential acting comeback began just days before she and Harry moved back to the UK with their children in late August.

Insiders on Guy Ritchie's hit series have dismissed claims that Netflix 'used' the Duchess of Sussex to promote its new season.

Sources close to Meghan accused those behind the show of revealing her potential involvement in the crime drama to generate publicity, claiming the episode had left her with a 'sour taste' and reluctant to consider further scripts.

But that claim was rejected out of hand by those with close ties to The Gentlemen production team.

'This is not a show in need of stunt casting,' a show insider told The Times.

On August 22, Tina Brown, the former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, wrote on Substack: 'I learned this morning that the casting of Meghan Markle in season 3 of Guy Ritchie's series The Gentlemen has been withdrawn.

'The backlash in the UK was so intense, it became untenable to go forward.'

Hollywood entertainment website Deadline also reported that Meghan had been in preliminary talks over a possible role in the third series of the Netflix crime drama.

The reports emerged just two days after it was revealed that she and Prince Harry were returning to Britain indefinitely with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

But less than a day after news of the talks emerged, they were reportedly abandoned amid a fierce 'backlash' from viewers.

In September, stars of The Gentlemen dismissed claims Meghan could join the cast, with Vinnie Jones insisting the show already boasts 'a lot of pretty women'.

In his typically direct style, the British actor and former professional footballer said: 'I think it's hot air.'

He added: 'We've got a lot of pretty women in this series, so I'm not sure there's room for any more.'

Theo James, who plays drug baron Eddie Horniman, joked when asked about the Sussex rumours: 'No. Prince Harry is playing one of my love interests. So that's the Meghan Markle thing.'

He later said: 'I think it's a spurious rumour. She'd fit in well because she's actually from the Royal Family, but I think the practicalities of that are impossible.'

Fellow Londoner Ray Winstone added: 'It's the first I've heard of it,' but said she would be a 'better-looking' addition than him.

Hugh Bonneville was equally dismissive, describing it as 'a genius bit of marketing by the person who dreamt up that idea', while new star Maya Jama said: 'I'd be the last person to know.'

Guy Ritchie declined to give interviews on the red carpet where he could have quashed rumours that he had held preliminary talks with Meghan over a possible role in the hit's third series.

But he is said to have responded with a simple 'Really?' when the Duchess's name was first mentioned.

Asked if she had a realistic chance of appearing in the series, he reportedly responded: 'Not a chance.'

Industry experts even claimed talk of Meghan being linked with a role in the show could have been leaked as a cynical PR tactic to create a buzz around her upcoming arrival in the UK.

Mark Borkowski, one of the UK's leading PR gurus, said he felt 'the timing of this has an ulterior motive to do what it's doing, to generate as much attention as possible without saying anything at all'.

Addressing claims that it was a deliberate leak from the Sussex side, he told the Daily Mail: 'It's totally plausible because there's not been a single quote from the production, so they're enjoying all the publicity, it's good for them.'

And now, two months after her involvement was first mooted, friends of the Duchess have broken cover to claim Meghan was 'used to help promote' season two of the show, which premiered last month and stars Theo James and Kaya Scodelario.

One source said Meghan was used to bolster publicity because Netflix knew the second series was not 'as good as the first season' and had 'already commissioned a third'.

'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 source told The Telegraph.

They also claimed the ordeal had 'left a bit of a sour taste in the Sussex camp's mouth', adding that Netflix ultimately 'got what it wanted': publicity and higher viewing figures for the new season.

A show source said last night: 'This is not a show in need of stunt casting,' and denied Meghan was being used.

Audience figures showed official ratings for The Gentlemen fell by approximately 15 per cent from the debut of the first season, which was streamed by 3.5 million viewers in March 2024.

The first episode of season two had around three million British viewers in the week following its release on Netflix.

However, whether Meghan was ever seriously in the running for The Gentlemen has also been questioned.

Harry and Meghan also face the prospect of a radically different relationship with streaming giant Netflix following the departure of Bela Bajaria.

The Duchess previously had a longstanding relationship with Netflix, signing a $100million five-year deal with the service in 2020. However, the deal lapsed last year after her lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, received mixed reviews.

Its second series failed to make the top ten in either the UK or the US following its release.

A Netflix consultant who worked closely with Bajaria told The Times: 'Effectively their biggest champion has gone and they are uncertain about who will be shouting for their cause in the future.

'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.'

Before her marriage to Harry, the Duchess starred in the popular US legal drama Suits, playing lawyer Rachel Zane for seven seasons.

But after her final episode aired in 2018 and she joined the Royal Family, she stepped away from acting and has not taken a conventional acting role since.

In 2022, Meghan insisted she had no plans to return to acting, telling Variety: 'I'm done. I guess never say never but my intention is to absolutely not.'

However, she has recently dabbled in a return to acting, taking a small part in the upcoming US film Close Personal Friends and making a cameo appearance as herself alongside Lily Collins and Brie Larson.

She also appeared as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia earlier this year, after filming the episode in Melbourne in April during a four-day tour of the country with Harry.

Another source said Meghan was now 'very cautious' about reading scripts for acting ventures because of the risk that her potential involvement could be leaked to the press.

They said whatever Meghan eventually stars in would 'attract huge interest'.

'The prospect of seeing her return to acting will drive big audiences,' the source said. 'And ultimately, someone – whether it's Netflix, Amazon or another studio – is going to make a lot of money from it.'

The Duchess of Sussex declined to comment. Netflix has been approached for comment.