Why Meghan Markle failed to land Strictly Come Dancing gig

Meghan Markle had planned to audition for Strictly Come Dancing in London but was unable to pursue the exciting project, according to a new book. 

• Meghan Markle rejected a Strictly Come Dancing offer after auditioning for the show in London, a new royal biography has claimed. 
• The Duchess of Sussex was reportedly interested in joining the British reality series in 2013, six years before she married Prince Harry. 
• In other royal news, Dame Helen Mirren's stark warning to the Queen - 'We are investigating a very difficult time in your life. I hope it’s not too awful for you'.
  

Meghan Markle turned down the chance to star on Strictly Come Dancing before she married Prince Harry, a royal biographer has claimed. 

The Duchess of Sussex was invited to audition for the BBC reality competition in 2013 while she was filming Suits, according to Tom Bower's new book, Revenge: Meghan, Harry And The War between the Windsors. 

The explosive publication, which hits shelves on July 21, alleges that the 40-year-old even met with one of Britain's most esteemed talent managers, Jonathon Shalit, in the hope of boosting her international celebrity status. Already known in the US and Canada for her role as Rachel Zane in the hit legal drama, Suits, Meghan was reportedly determined to gain more recognition in the UK by breaking into its reality television scene. 

"Shalit was excited," Bower writes. "She was charming, good-looking, and admired by the small audience for Suits." 

Impressed by his chat with the aspiring superstar, Shalit reportedly arranged for Meghan to audition for a spot on Strictly. She "reluctantly" rejected the offer, however, due to scheduling conflicts with Suits. 

"Tied to a Suits contract for nine months in the year, the timing clashed with filming in Britain," he adds. "Disappointed, Shalit bid her farewell." 

Unable to make things work, Meghan returned to Toronto to continue filming Suits for another four years. She departed the series in 2018 before moving to England, where she married Prince Harry and became a full-time working royal. Since the couple's high-profile withdrawal from the Royal Family in 2020 and return to the US, it's been widely speculated that the mother-of-two is interested in reviving her acting career.