Meghan Markle’s Netflix Acting Comeback Collapses as Harry and Meghan Lose Their Biggest Ally

0:03 Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. People magazine reports that Meghan is no longer in talks to join the third season of Guy Ritchie's drama. The Telegraph quotes a friend who believes the speculation served Netflix very nicely. Some people in her camp feel she was used to help promote season two because they knew it wasn't as good as the first season and had already commissioned a third, the friend said. It's the oldest marketing trick in the book. Get a big name to read a script and leak that you're in conversation with them when in reality nothing is particularly far along. Page Six meanwhile previously reported that Megan had one conversation with the casting director and never received an offer. She took it as an offer and it wasn't, one insider told the outlet. and she and her husband thought it would be helpful in the moment for there to be a reason for their move. The friend quoted by The Telegraph said, The whole thing left a bit of a sour taste in the Sussex camp's mouth. Netflix got what it wanted.

1:09 Huge viewing figures for season two and a lot of publicity. People close to The Gentleman are pushing back. This is not a show in need of stunt casting, one source told The Sunday Times. The dispute over The Gentleman comes alongside a potentially more consequential change. the reported departure of Bella Baharia, Netflix's chief content officer. According to the Sunday Times, Baharia left as part of wider redundancies. An unnamed Netflix consultant who worked closely with her described the departure as a setback for Harry and Meghan. Effectively, their biggest champion has gone, and they are uncertain about who will be shouting for their cause in the future. Teams at the company were well aware of how she was fiercely loyal to the couple and determined to prove they were a successful signing partner. even when the response from viewers was different.

1:55 Several proposed projects remain unfinished or have yet to reach viewers. The report lists planned adaptations of No Way Out, Meet Me at the Lake and The Wedding Date, along with Harry's polo drama, which remains in development. The consultant expects those projects to face closer examination. Meghan and Harry will be dealing with new executives. That is tough going for anyone in the business at the moment in Hollywood. Netflix has laid off over 1,000 people and are tightening purse strings, so handing out millions on projects which don't work or are stuck for years in development is a no-go. The Sunday Times reports that former Disney executive Peter Rice is replacing Baharia. The same source predicted a difficult transition. The next six weeks will be Peter shaking it all up and there will be major casualties. He is charged with finding the next Stranger Things or Emily in Paris rather than some royal-linked vanity project. Radar Online is claiming that Meghan's efforts to stay close to Netflix executive Ted Sarandos are irritating people around him. The report alleges that she has been sending handwritten notes, flowers and products from her As Ever brand. One source told Radar, the Duchess' relentless approaches have become excessive with repeated gestures of appreciation potentially creating discomfort rather than strengthening relationships. There is a growing feeling that Megan is trying far too hard with this charm offensive to keep herself in the good graces of Netflix's most powerful figures, and what might initially have seemed like thoughtful gestures of friendship is now beginning to look

3:25 like a calculated campaign to remain relevant. The difficulty is that Netflix is ultimately a business, and its executives are going to make decisions based on commercial performance rather than how many thoughtful messages or presents arrive at their homes. Megan may believe that maintaining this level of contact will help protect her position and create opportunities for future collaborations, but there is a perception that she is misjudging how her approach is being received. Another source said, what makes the situation particularly awkward is that she doesn't necessarily recognize when her efforts might be having the opposite effect to the one she's intended. She appears convinced that persistence, warmth, and personal attention can overcome professional setbacks, whereas some people may interpret the same behavior as excessive or even exhausting.

4:11 In The Spectator, Alexander Laman writes, Now that Meghan Markle has successfully, in her own estimation at least, once again won the battle for hearts and minds in Britain after her trip to Nottingham with Prince Harry, her thoughts have turned once again to her resumption of a former profession. I refer, of course, to acting and to the rumours that she was to be given a plum starring role in the third series of Guy Ritchie's The Gentleman, in which she was said to be reading for an unspecified but pivotal part. These rumours have now been shut down, and true to form with all things involving the Duchess of Sussex, there is a spat about who is telling the truth. There is a sense that should Meghan wish to resume her acting career, she would have to find a project as high profile as The Gentleman, or else run the risk of finding that her return to screens, small or large, was as damp a squib as With Love, Meghan.

5:00 Perhaps Netflix are kicking themselves for missing a trick with the Sussexes, After all, a fly-on-the-wall documentary following their return to Britain would have been a guaranteed ratings hit, especially if it included such bizarre events as the changing of their children's school after two days. And they were dropping hints as to Meghan's potential involvement with the gentleman over the summer, making loaded comments such as, all bets are off and your guess is as good as anyone's as to what's coming in the third season. Yet it would now appear, unless this is the mother of all double bluffs, not an impossibility whatsoever. that Meghan's mooted involvement with the gentleman is not going to be delighting viewers in 2028, which means that those who are waiting for the former suit star to return to screens as a character, rather than herself, are going to be on tenterhooks for just a while longer. Still, at least there is a cameo in the upcoming Amazon picture Close Personal Friends, in which Meghan is said to play a self-aware, playful version of herself. Self-aware? Playful?

5:58 These are not necessarily words we associate with La Markle. So perhaps the greatest surprise of all is to be sprung on audiences. More Palace in just a moment. Santabali's defamation case against Prince Harry has been put on hold, according to The Telegraph, as the charity faces falling income and concerns about the cost of continuing the fight. The organisation is suing its co-founder over what its trustees described as a coordinated adverse media campaign that caused operational disruption and reputational harm. Now both sides have agreed to extend the deadlines for Harry's acknowledgement of service and defence. The Telegraph reports that there are fears a defeat could leave Sentabali facing legal bills it cannot afford. The claim has not been withdrawn and the extension does not resolve the dispute. Harry, according to the newspaper, is prepared to go to trial to defend his reputation. The legal confrontation follows the breakdown of Harry's relationship with the organisation he helped establish in 2006.

7:00 He and Prince, CEO of Lesotho, founded Centre Bali in memory of their mothers, supporting children and young people affected by HIV in Southern Africa. In March 2025, both founders stepped down as patrons amid what they called unthinkable infighting. The trustees also resigned. At the centre of the dispute was a confrontation with board chair Sophie Chandalkar over the charity's management, finances and fundraising strategy. Chandalkar alleged abuse of power, bullying, misogyny and harassment. She suggested that Centre Bali had become a vanity project for Harry and his friends, accusing them of using media they disdain to cause harm. The charity commission subsequently criticised the public handlings of the dispute by all sides. According to the Telegraph's account of its findings, it found no evidence of the behaviour Chandalkar alleged. The watchdog's scrutiny concerned concerns about the governance of Centre Bali.

7:55 It did not end the conflict between the charity and its former patron. Harry has a straightforward answer when asked how he introduces himself to someone new. Hi, I'm Harry. The question came during a Masterclass appearance reported by the Express. Asked, how do you introduce yourself to someone who has never met you? He smiled and left the titles out. It echoes an exchange earlier this year on Joe Mahler's We'll See You Now podcast, introduced as Henry Charles Albert David. Harry was asked what the hosts could call him. Harry, he replied. Mahler offered to go with Harry or just H. The Duke's response was, that's great. And there you have it. If you'd like to email us, our address is thepalaceintrigue at gmail.com. If you're on Spotify, leave us a comment.

8:41 If you're on Apple, hit that button up there that says listen uninterrupted and get the show commercial free for just five bucks a month. Also, if there is a podcaster or social media creator in your family, We've released a program that's fit for all creators and with the assistance of AI can help you become a better creator. It's called Linnet. And you can get early access now just by going to linnetmedia.com. That's L-I-N-N-E-T media.com. And it's free through November. So give the podcasting or social creator in your life a heads up. I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue. Good times. Thank you.