Sarah Ferguson Gets Surprise Mention as Theo James Mocks Meghan Markle Casting Rumours

Theo James has given a cheeky response to speculation that Meghan Markle could appear in the third series of Netflix’s The Gentlemen — unexpectedly bringing Sarah Ferguson into the conversation.

The actor, who plays Eddie, the 13th Duke of Halstead, was asked by Town & Country about reports suggesting the Duchess of Sussex could join Guy Ritchie’s crime drama.

Rather than seriously addressing the possibility, James grinned and offered his own casting suggestion.

“Yes, Fergie is joining. She’ll be playing my love interest,” he joked.

He then made it clear that he believes the speculation surrounding Meghan has been exaggerated.

“No, I think that was mainly a lot of hot air,” James said when asked about the persistent reports.

How the Meghan rumours began

Speculation about Meghan joining The Gentlemen intensified after Prince Harry and Meghan returned to Britain, amid reports that the Duchess was considering a return to acting.

Deadline subsequently reported that Meghan was in discussions over a possible role in the show’s third series.

However, GB News reported at the time that no role had formally been offered to Meghan and that her involvement remained at the early discussion stage.

The speculation was given another boost last week when Manda Levin, Netflix’s UK scripted chief, was asked about the possibility during the Edinburgh TV Festival.

“All bets are off,” Levin said, adding another layer of intrigue to the reports.

For Netflix, Meghan’s involvement in such a high-profile series would potentially attract considerable publicity and new viewers. The Sussexes already have a first-look deal with the streaming platform, with several film and television projects in development.

Theo James has other plans for the series

While James dismissed the Meghan rumours, he already has ideas about where The Gentlemen could go next.

The second series moves into the world of Italian aristocracy, while James said he would be interested in seeing a future season explore the Middle East.

“It’s rich culturally and it’s complex because of, obviously, all the reasons we know, from wealth to war, and it fits in very well with the concept of The Gentlemen,” he said.

On a personal level, however, James admitted that he would particularly enjoy taking the production to the south of France.

Why audiences remain fascinated by the wealthy elite

James also reflected on the appeal of the series, which centres on the darker side of privilege, wealth and power.

He believes viewers are fascinated by the ways money can influence behaviour and ultimately corrupt those who possess it.

“People are fascinated by the idea of wealth and how wealth can corrupt people, ultimately. That’s what we’re interested in here,” he explained.

For the second series, James said the creative team wanted to retain the elements that worked in the first season while giving the characters greater emotional depth.

“We wanted to take some of the wins of season one, but also learn from some of the things that we didn’t quite get to do on season one,” he said, explaining that the aim was to give the characters deeper moral dilemmas, regrets and consequences.

Stakes remain central to the drama

James also stressed the importance of making the characters’ decisions carry genuine consequences.

“Without stakes, then nothing really matters. So characters’ choices and actions become consequential,” he said.

He believes the new series is more complex than its predecessor, although ultimately the audience will decide whether the changes have worked.

“To me, I feel that the show is more complex than season one, and that was what I really hoped we could do, but we’ll see how people enjoy it,” he said.

The second series of The Gentlemen launched on Netflix on September 3.

For now, however, James’ comments appear to have poured cold water on one of the most talked-about casting rumours surrounding the next chapter — while his unexpected reference to Sarah Ferguson has added an amusing twist to the speculation.