In the mere two weeks since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their homecoming to England after six and a half years of living it up in California, all the contradictory, criss-crossing threads theorizing the reason for their return have left me in a state of royal whiplash.
Deputy royal editor at The Telegraph, Victoria Ward, was the first to break the story of the prodigal return, saying Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had been planning the move “for quite a long time.” Some sources theorized they ran out of money due to their expensive lifestyle and high security costs. Some sources said they want to enroll their children in British schools. But the most sensational theory concerns the possible return of the former Suits actress to acting…
According to Deadline, Meghan was “offered a role” in Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen for its third season. The very next day, however, major outlets were quick to dispute it. According to Tina Brown, former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, and now a Substack writer focusing on the royal family, wrote, “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.” However, when Netflix’s UK scripted chief Manda Levin was asked about Meghan, she “refused to deny” the rumors, saying instead, “All bets are off.” Whatever that means.
So, on Wednesday night, as cast and crew gathered in London for The Gentlemen season 2 premiere, the potential casting of Meghan was bound to be the main topic of conversation. But now series lead Theo James is pouring cold water over the rumors, or rather, a chilled bottle of Meghan’s As Ever rosé, because also on Wednesday, James spoke to Town & Country, and was asked whether “a former royal” was joining the show:
“Yes, Fergie is joining. She’ll be playing my love interest.” (American readers: Fergie is a nickname for Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, NOT the frontwoman of the Black Eyed Peas.)
He then added, “No, I think that was mainly a lot of hot air. At the moment, we’re just trying to get as many eyes on season two”—Mission accomplished!— “But in terms of story, we have the overarching ambition of where we’re going to go. We’re going to expand the world, go to different countries. But in terms of the minutiae, I mean, it’s still very much up in the air.”
“Hot Air.” “Up in the air.” “All bets are off.” The mixed metaphors are driving me crazy.
While it wouldn’t make sense that the Sussexes would uproot their whole lives just for Meghan to guest-spot in one season of a TV show, it’s a more flattering excuse to flee Montecito than telling everyone: “We ran out of money.”
- “Well, I would like to avoid being in a tampon commercial 20 years after I’m dead.” – George Clooney on AI [The Hollywood Reporter]
- The Archrival Alexes (Alex Cooper and Alix Earle) are drumming up drama for their future career endeavors. [Entertainment Tonight]
- Katy Perry says Justin Trudeau is the “love of her life.” [People]
- Did Martin Scorsese steal hubcaps in Tribeca as a teen? [Entertainment Weekly]
- Luke Bryan’s new song “Fish Hunt Golf Drink” is NOT AI-generated, despite rumors. The reason I know is because AI is definitely capable of writing a better song. [Entertainment Weekly]
- In case you still happen to care, each signature cocktail at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding had its own signature ice cube. [Page Six]
