Netflix Used Meghan Markle to Promote ‘The Gentlemen,’ Sources Claim

Meghan Markle was reportedly drawn into a promotional campaign for the second season of Netflix’s The Gentlemen. According to sources, people in the Duchess of Sussex’s circle believe rumors of her potential appearance in the show’s third season helped the streaming giant generate publicity, despite there being no firm agreement with the actress.

“Some people around her feel she was used to promote season two because they knew it wasn’t as good as the first, and season three had already been commissioned,” a friend of Meghan’s told The Telegraph.

According to the source, the situation reflects a familiar marketing tactic: celebrities are invited to look at a script, and news of talks with them is then circulated even though discussions about the project have not progressed very far.

“The whole thing has left a bad taste in the Sussexes’ circle. Netflix got what it wanted: strong viewing figures for season two and plenty of publicity,” the source added.

In the summer, Deadline reported that Markle, 45, was in talks to appear in the third season of The Gentlemen. Speculation intensified in August when Netflix executive Minna LeVine gave an evasive response to a question about the Duchess potentially joining the cast at the Edinburgh TV Festival, saying, “Anything is possible.”

However, Page Six previously reported, citing its own sources, that Meghan had never received an official offer. According to one insider, she had only had a single conversation with the show’s casting director.

“She took it as an offer. But it wasn’t,” the source said, adding that Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, may have viewed the rumors about the role as beneficial amid speculation about their possible return to the UK.

Another source claimed that although no formal offer had been made, the show’s director and producer, Guy Ritchie, had reportedly expressed interest in casting Markle.