ROYALLY REBUFFED

Meghan Caught Up in Bizarre Feud With Hit Netflix Show

The duchess’ heralded return to acting looks as if it has been put on hold.

Meghan Markle has become embroiled in a bizarre spat with the producers of the hit Netflix show The Gentlemen. Sources close to the duchess spent the weekend telling the Telegraph that she had been “used” by the streaming giant when they floated her name as a possible star of a future series. Her team claims she was then dropped as soon as the viewing figures were in for the current season. However, the team behind director Guy Ritchie’s franchise hit back at the allegation, with one telling The Times of London that the show doesn’t need “stunt casting.” News of Meghan’s potential role first came in late August, when The Hollywood Reporter said Meghan was in advanced discussions on the eve of her return to Britain from Montecito. The following morning Tina Brown (who hired me many years ago as the Daily Beast’s royal correspondent) posted that the casting had been withdrawn because the backlash in Britain had made it untenable. The reaction from the Sussex side was furious. Two months on, the same camp says nothing was close to agreed, and that Meghan was exploited by Snatch director Ritchie. The Sussexes have long been reported as having a frayed relationship with Netflix, with one source telling Variety that the pair were “on the outs”.

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