In a move that surprised absolutely no one who has been paying attention to British tabloids, the reported casting of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in the third season of Guy Ritchie's Netflix series *The Gentlemen* has been unceremoniously withdrawn.

Tina Brown, the former editor-in-chief of *Vanity Fair* and *The New Yorker*, broke the news on Saturday with the kind of casual authority that suggests she was just waiting for the perfect moment. "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this morning that the casting of Meghan Markle in season 3 of Guy Ritchie's Netflix series The Gentlemen has been withdrawn.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," she wrote.

This development comes a mere day after reports emerged that the Duchess was in talks to make her acting comeback in the series, which, by the way, hasn't even been officially greenlit for a third season. You know, typical Hollywood speed.

The Gentlemen, for the uninitiated, is a spin-off of the 2019 crime comedy film of the same name, which starred Matthew McConaughey and Charlie Hunnam. Ritchie created both, presumably while perfecting his Cockney accent.

Meghan, of course, is no stranger to the small screen. She made her name in the legal drama *Suits*, playing Rachel Zane for seven glorious seasons. Her other credits include *CSI: NY* and *90210*, plus a small role in *Horrible Bosses* and the 2015 crime thriller *Anti-Social*. She also headlined two Hallmark movies, *When Sparks Fly* and *Dater's Handbook*, because everyone needs a little cheese in their filmography.

More recently, she filmed a cameo as herself in the Amazon comedy *Close Personal Friends*, alongside Brie Larson and Jack Quaid. Because who doesn't want to play themselves?

Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly planning to return to live in Britain this month, six years after their dramatic exit to the US. The couple and their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are expected to relocate to a property believed to be outside London. King Charles was reportedly informed of this momentous news last Sunday, probably over a cup of tea.

Last year, the couple signed a fresh multi-year film and television deal with Netflix, following their original five-year deal in 2020, reportedly worth $100m (£78m). That deal has produced a number of projects, including Meghan's lifestyle series *With Love, Meghan*, which received reviews so bad that the Guardian's Chitra Ramaswamy called it "toe-curling stuff" in a one-star review. But hey, at least it's memorable.