Will Meghan Markle be in The Gentlemen? Theo James appears to give definitive answer to the rumours

The Gentlemen is finally back for season 2, with episodes airing on Netflix from September 3.

While there's been a huge buzz surrounding the release of the new season, and excitement that the hit comedy has already been renewed for a third series, there seems to be one big question everyone is asking about the show: Will Meghan Markle be in season 3?

Rumours have been widely circulating that Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will make a spectacular return to acting in the show's next outing (which hopefully we won't have to wait another two and a half years for.)

While waiting for official confirmation or denial of the reports of her involvement in The Gentlemen, Theo James who plays the role of Eddie Halstead in the series, seems to have offered a definitive answer to the question.

"I think that is just a rumour," James said when asked by Digital Spy whether Meghan had a role in season 3. He adds, "I don’t even know the practicalities of how one would make that happen."

When asked who he'd like to be cast in a starring role instead of the Duchess, Theo replied, "In terms of people that I would like to have in the series, I’d like someone psychopathic, like old school Robert Carlyle."

When rumours first began that Meghan was in talks to appear in The Gentlemen, an insider told The Sun, "The gossip in TV circles is that Meghan could play the ultimate temptress, who puts the cat among the pigeons by seducing an aristocrat.

"The Gentlemen would be perfect for her as it’s a big budget, glossy production which is quintessentially British.

"But because it is on Netflix that gives it a huge global audience. In fact it is one of the streaming giant’s biggest hits of recent years.

"It would see her star opposite Theo James, who plays Eddie and he is one of the frontrunners to be the new James Bond."

They concluded by saying, "Everything about the project screams quality, but it is also one with a bit of an edge too."

However, it was later reported by Tina Brown, the former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, that Meghan has been dropped from the project.

Writing on her Substack, Brown suggested, "I learned this morning that the casting of Meghan Markle in season 3 of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen has been withdrawn.

"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."

Meghan became widely known following her leading role as Rachel Zane in the legal drama Suits, in which she played the character for seven seasons.

On the big screen, she had a small role in the comedy Horrible Bosses, and had major parts in the Hallmark movies When Sparks Fly and Dater’s Handbook.

She retired from acting in 2018 following her marriage to Prince Harry, and recently made a small foray back to the small screen playing herself in the Amazon comedy Close Personal Friends.

The Duchess hasn't been entirely absent from TV screens during her retirement from acting, having appeared in a presenting capacity, fronting her own lifestyle show on Netflix.

In 2025, she hosted With Love, Meghan, as part of her and Harry's production deal with Netflix. Here, she chatted to celebrity friends, and shared favourite recipes and crafts with viewers.