Meghan Markle 'is in talks to star in Guy Ritchie's Netflix show The Gentlemen' when she and Harry return to the UK after six years

Meghan Markle is said to be in early discussions to star in Guy Ritchie's Netflix show The Gentlemen as she and Harry prepare to return to British soil. The Duchess of Sussex is said to be in talks for a role in Ritchie's Netflix hit after this newspaper revealed executives at the streaming giant had green-lit its third series.A source told Deadline the mother-of-two has had ‘preliminary’ discussions about joining the show for its next instalment. However, they added a role has not been identified as of yet, and it is also unclear how many episodes she will appear in.Meanwhile, a show insider recently told the Mail how casting was in the process of being completed, and crew are being booked with an aim to start filming in autumn. Speculation about the Duchess returning to acting began to arise today, following the announcement that the Sussexes would return to the UK later this month. The Gentlemen, which is led by Theo James, 41, became one of Netflix’s biggest hits of 2024, drawing an impressive 44million views in the first four weeks of its debut.It also stars Vinnie Jones as hardman Geoffrey Seacombe and Kaya Scodelario as Susie Glass, the daughter of Ray Winstone's crime boss character.It follows the 2019 film of the same name, which starred Matthew McConaughey, Michelle Dockery and Hugh Grant.It was also a hit, grossing just over $115million at the box office, against a reported budget of $22million.In the film version, Mickey Pearson (played by McConaughey) was a drug lord who tried to sell off his profitable marijuana business to a dynasty of billionaires.It comes as Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, were understood to be returning to Britain for an extended stay as of Wednesday evening.Meghan Markle is said to be in 'early talks' to star in Guy Ritchie's The Gentleman on Netflix (Pictured: Meghan in Suits)It comes after news broke Prince Harry and Meghan (pictured) would be returning to the UK after departing to the US in 2020 in a move famously dubbed 'Megxit' Guy Ritchie's hit Netflix show features Theo James (pictured) and has grossed just over $115million at the box office, against a reported budget of $22millionTheir children, Archie and Lilibet, are also said to have already been enrolled at a British school.The couple will live in a non-royal residence, and King Charles is clear that there will be no change to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's role and status.They will remain private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family, in keeping with their 'clearly expressed wishes and the agreement reached in recent years'. Despite clarity over their status, questions remain over whether the couple could return to the royal fold on a full-time basis if they chose to give up their commercial ventures. Sources have insisted the couple wish to remain private individuals. Their return comes after the couple left Britain for the US in 2020, in a move famously dubbed 'Megxit' at the time, sparking headlines across the globe. Later in 2021, the couple spoke with Oprah Winfrey in an explosive interview where Harry told the TV host that he would not have left if it weren't for Meghan, adding that he and his wife were 'trapped'. '[We were] Trapped within the system, like the rest of my family are,' he said. 'My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don't get to leave. And I have huge compassion for that.' At the time, Harry also said that they were 'certainly not complaining... our life is great now'. The interview, as well as his memoir Spare for which he was reportedly given a $20m advance, were rumoured to have contributed to Harry's relationship with his own family becoming strained. It is thought he and Prince William have not spoken for years.Meanwhile, Meghan announced she was retiring from acting eight years ago - yet both she and Harry have kept their foot in the door of showbusiness. In 2020, the couple signed a lucrative five-year deal with Netflix, which was reportedly $100million in exchange for several shows. The couple had their own documentary Harry & Meghan available on the streaming giant, which featured a range of accusations against the Royal Family. The Duchess's lifestyle show With Love, Meghan, had several seasons on Netflix featuring several A-list celebs including Chrissy Teigen and Mindy Kaling.But their multi-million dollar Netflix deal was later downgraded to a less profitable 'first look' arrangement. The Duchess of Sussex also signed a $25million Spotify deal, where she produced her podcast Archetypes, featuring the likes of Serena Williams and Mariah Carey over 12 episodes. However, later in 2023, The Sussexes' company Archewell Audio and Spotify said they had agreed to 'mutually' part ways. She also appeared as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia last month, after filming the episode in Melbourne in April during a four-day tour of the country with Harry. Meanwhile, the news of the Sussexes' return to Britain comes just a month after the Duke met his father in July following his High Court loss against Associated Newspapers. Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, are thought to have already enrolled in a British school (the family are pictured in December 2025) It is, however, thought that King Charles 'welcomes' news of his son's return to Britain (the pair are pictured together in 2022)Today, Harry and his fellow claimants were ordered to pay millions after Mr Justice Nicklin ruled their hacking case was pursued in a way that was ‘unreasonable to a high degree’.The Duke of Sussex, Baroness Lawrence, Sir Elton John and the four others have seven days to pay the first £9,544,355, the High Court ordered.The claimants have been hit with a rare 'indemnity order', meaning they will have to bear the brunt of the costs of their disastrous legal action. Such orders are usually only granted in cases where a judge believes there has been bad conduct.He ruled the order was justified because the litigation against the Mail had been ‘pursued in a way that took it well outside the norm’. Elsewhere, King Charles was seemingly blindsided by the news that Prince Harry and Meghan were returning to the UK earlier this week. The monarch is said to have only been informed on Sunday about the Sussexes' return to Britain later this month. It is understood that the monarch welcomes the chance to see his youngest son and his family in a personal capacity. The Duke was understood to have visited his father at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire following an Invictus Games one-year-to-go event in Birmingham just last July.Harry was joined by his wife and two children in what is believed to have been the first time Archie and Lilibet had seen the monarch since Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.Just weeks ago, sources close to Harry said he wanted to visit Britain 'every few months' over the next year after his reunion with King Charles last month.Before deciding on a longer-term return, the Duke of Sussex, 41, said his most recent visit to the UK and time with his father left him feeling 'buoyed', 'very happy' and 'really energised'. Harry was already due to return to Britain in September for a week of engagements. The Daily Mail has approached the Sussexes' representative for comment. Netflix declined to comment.