A person claiming to be a friend of Meghan Markle has alleged that the Duchess of Sussex was used to generate publicity for Netflix’s The Gentlemen, after reports suggested her potential role in the series’ third season had fallen through.

The alleged friend believes Markle’s name was used to attract attention to the show while discussions about her involvement were reportedly taking place.

The claims were first reported by The Telegraph, although the identity of the source has not been disclosed.

“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. It’s the oldest marketing trick in the book: get a big name to read a script, then leak that you’re ‘in conversation’ with them when, in reality, nothing is particularly far along,” the source told The Telegraph.

Speculation about Markle’s possible appearance in The Gentlemen emerged in August, following reports that she and Prince Harry were planning to move back to the UK with their two children.

Her reported discussions about joining the Netflix series were cited as a possible factor in the move.

However, another report subsequently claimed Markle had been dropped from the project before an official casting announcement was made.

The report attributed the alleged decision to the strength of the public reaction in the UK.

Neither Netflix nor Markle’s representatives have publicly confirmed the reported casting discussions or the allegations made by the source.

It remains unclear whether negotiations progressed beyond preliminary conversations.