MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 16: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, takes part in the Scar Tree Walk on day three of the royal trip on April 16, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. The Scar Tree Walk is a journey connecting traditional and contemporary Aboriginal cultures and histories of the Kulin Nation. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on a four-day visit to Australia, with engagements across Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. (Photo by Jonathan Brady-Pool/Getty Images)
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The Gentlemen star Theo James is addressing reports of the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle joining the Netflix crime series in Season 3.
Word of Markle potentially joining the series broke in August, around the same time Markle and Prince Harry announced that they would be moving their family back to the U.K. after spending six years in Hollywood.
The news of Markle — who previously starred in the TV series Suits — was first reported by Australian outlet News.com.au, where sources claimed the royal was “offered a role in an upcoming project based in the UK.”
Hollywood trade publication Deadline also weighed in on the potential casting of Markle, saying that talks were in “the very early stages” but only “hypothetical” because at the time, The Gentlemen had not been renewed for Season 3. Since that time, Netflix has given a green light to the third season of filmmaker Guy Ritchie’s series.
In a new interview with Town & Country Magazine about The Gentlemen Season 2, which begins streaming on Netflix on Thursday, James was asked point-blank about the reports of Markle joining the series.
“Yes, Fergie is joining. She’ll be playing my love interest,” James joked in the Town & Country interview, referring to the former Prince Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.
Then, referring to the reports about Markle joining the show, James added, “No, I think that was mainly a lot of hot air.”
James then teased about the future of The Gentlemen, telling Town & Country, “At the moment, we’re just trying to get as many eyes on season two, and then season three will happen soon. But in terms of story, we have the overarching ambition of where we’re going to go. We’re going to expand the world, go to different countries. But in terms of the minutiae, I mean, it’s still very much up in the air.”
Theo James at “The Gentlemen” Season 2 World Premiere held at Guildhall on September 02, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Zak Hussein/Variety via Getty Images)
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Tina Brown Recently Wrote About The ‘Backlash’ Over Reports Of Meghan Markle’s Casting In ‘The Gentlemen’ Season 3
Just days after the reports by News.com.au and Deadline about Meghan Markle’s potential casting in The Gentlemen Season 3, former New Yorker and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Tina Brown threw cold water on reports in her Fresh Hell column on Substack.
“I learned this morning that the casting of Meghan Markle in season 3 of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen has been withdrawn,” Brown wrote on Substack. “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. More to come.”
While the reports of Markle potentially returning to acting don’t seem to be panning out, the Duchess of Sussex did appear in a pair of Netflix projects while she and Prince Harry were in Hollywood.
The couple’s six-part docuseries Harry & Meghan debuted on Netflix in 2022, which was followed by Markle’s 2025 reality series Love, Meghan, which ran two seasons.
Netflix opted not to renew Prince Harry and Markle’s $100 million deal in 2026.
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