Netflix is expected to move away from “royal-linked vanity projects” under its new television chief, potentially making Meghan Markle a “casualty” of the streaming giant’s leadership shake-up, an insider has claimed amid the growing dispute surrounding The Gentlemen.

The controversy over the Duchess of Sussex’s reported connection to Guy Ritchie’s hit crime drama is said to have made her “very cautious” about taking on new scripts.

Industry figures have warned that the change could bring further uncertainty for Meghan and Prince Harry. Peter Rice, a veteran of 21st Century Fox and Disney, has replaced their reported “biggest champion”, Bela Bajaria, as Netflix’s chief content officer.

Bajaria played a key role in bringing Harry & Meghan and With Love, Meghan to Netflix. Staff at the company were reportedly stunned when she departed after a decade last week.

Rice, who was born and brought up in Britain, now oversees Netflix’s television and film slate. He is expected to introduce a notably different strategy at the streaming service.

“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,” a Netflix source said.

Meghan is reportedly keen to return to acting while continuing to develop her lifestyle brand, As Ever.

However, she is said to feel “used” by those involved with The Gentlemen after speculation emerged that she might join the cast. The rumours surfaced only four days before the Sussexes returned to the UK.

Guy Ritchie was reportedly involved in preliminary discussions with Meghan. Yet when asked about the possibility of the former Suits star appearing in the series, he allegedly responded: “Really?” and “Not a chance.”

A source close to the production insisted last night that the show had no need for “stunt casting”. The comments came after stars including Theo James and Ray Winstone reportedly appeared incredulous at suggestions Meghan might feature in a future season.

Meghan is said to have been upset by the episode and now intends to scrutinise scripts more carefully. Concerns have reportedly been raised that producers could use the possibility of her involvement as a publicity coup to attract attention.

Despite the shake-up, Netflix is still expected to compete for Harry’s reported documentary about his mother, Princess Diana, ahead of the 30th anniversary of her death next year.

Speculation over whether Meghan would return to acting began only days before she and Harry moved back to the UK with their children in late August.

People connected to Guy Ritchie’s hit series have denied that Netflix or the production used the Duchess of Sussex to promote its new season.

Sources close to Meghan accused the show’s team of publicising her possible involvement to create a media buzz. They claimed the experience had left her with a “sour taste” and less willing to consider new acting opportunities.

Those allegations, however, were firmly rejected by people with close links to The Gentlemen production.

“This is not a show in need of stunt casting,” a source close to the series told The Times.

On August 22, Tina Brown, the former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, wrote on Substack: ‘I learned this morning that the casting of Meghan Markle in season 3 of Guy Ritchie’s series The Gentlemen has been withdrawn.

‘The backlash in the UK was so intense, it became untenable to go forward.’

Hollywood entertainment website Deadline also reported that Meghan had been in preliminary talks over a possible role in the third series of the Netflix crime drama.

The reports emerged just two days after it was revealed that she and Prince Harry were returning to Britain indefinitely with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

But less than a day after news of the talks emerged, they were reportedly abandoned amid a fierce ‘backlash’ from viewers.

In September, stars of The Gentlemen dismissed claims Meghan could join the cast, with Vinnie Jones insisting the show already boasts ‘a lot of pretty women’.

In his typically direct style, the British actor and former professional footballer said: ‘I think it’s hot air.’

He added: ‘We’ve got a lot of pretty women in this series, so I’m not sure there’s room for any more.’

Theo James, who plays drug baron Eddie Horniman, joked when asked about the Sussex rumours: ‘No. Prince Harry is playing one of my love interests. So that’s the Meghan Markle thing.’

He later said: ‘I think it’s a spurious rumour. She’d fit in well because she’s actually from the Royal Family, but I think the practicalities of that are impossible.’

Fellow Londoner Ray Winstone added: ‘It’s the first I’ve heard of it,’ but said she would be a ‘better-looking’ addition than him.

MORE ON THIS: List of Premier League Teams That Violated Profit and Sustainability Regulations – NewsFinale

Hugh Bonneville was equally dismissive, describing it as ‘a genius bit of marketing by the person who dreamt up that idea’, while new star Maya Jama said: ‘I’d be the last person to know.’

Guy Ritchie declined to give interviews on the red carpet where he could have quashed rumours that he had held preliminary talks with Meghan over a possible role in the hit’s third series.

But he is said to have responded with a simple ‘Really?’ when the Duchess’s name was first mentioned.

Asked if she had a realistic chance of appearing in the series, he reportedly responded: ‘Not a chance.’

Industry experts even claimed talk of Meghan being linked with a role in the show could have been leaked as a cynical PR tactic to create a buzz around her upcoming arrival in the UK.

Mark Borkowski, one of the UK’s leading PR gurus, said he felt ‘the timing of this has an ulterior motive to do what it’s doing, to generate as much attention as possible without saying anything at all’.

Addressing claims that it was a deliberate leak from the Sussex side, he told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s totally plausible because there’s not been a single quote from the production, so they’re enjoying all the publicity, it’s good for them.’

And now, two months after her involvement was first mooted, friends of the Duchess have broken cover to claim Meghan was ‘used to help promote’ season two of the show, which premiered last month and stars Theo James and Kaya Scodelario.

One source said Meghan was used to bolster publicity because Netflix knew the second series was not ‘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.

They also claimed the ordeal had ‘left a bit of a sour taste in the Sussex camp’s mouth’, adding that Netflix ultimately ‘got what it wanted’: publicity and higher viewing figures for the new season.

A show source said last night: ‘This is not a show in need of stunt casting,’ and denied Meghan was being used.

Audience figures showed official ratings for The Gentlemen fell by approximately 15 per cent from the debut of the first season, which was streamed by 3.5 million viewers in March 2024.

The first episode of season two had around three million British viewers in the week following its release on Netflix.

However, whether Meghan was ever seriously in the running for The Gentlemen has also been questioned.

Harry and Meghan also face the prospect of a radically different relationship with streaming giant Netflix following the departure of Bela Bajaria.

The Duchess previously had a longstanding relationship with Netflix, signing a $100million five-year deal with the service in 2020. However, the deal lapsed last year after her lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, received mixed reviews.

Its second series failed to make the top ten in either the UK or the US following its release.

A Netflix consultant who worked closely with Bajaria told The Times: ‘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, even when the response from viewers was different.’

Before her marriage to Harry, the Duchess starred in the popular US legal drama Suits, playing lawyer Rachel Zane for seven seasons.

But after her final episode aired in 2018 and she joined the Royal Family, she stepped away from acting and has not taken a conventional acting role since.

In 2022, Meghan insisted she had no plans to return to acting, telling Variety: ‘I’m done. I guess never say never but my intention is to absolutely not.’

However, she has recently dabbled in a return to acting, taking a small part in the upcoming US film Close Personal Friends and making a cameo appearance as herself alongside Lily Collins and Brie Larson.

She also appeared as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia earlier this year, after filming the episode in Melbourne in April during a four-day tour of the country with Harry.

Another source said Meghan was now ‘very cautious’ about reading scripts for acting ventures because of the risk that her potential involvement could be leaked to the press.

They said whatever Meghan eventually stars in would ‘attract huge interest’.

‘The prospect of seeing her return to acting will drive big audiences,’ the source said. ‘And ultimately, someone – whether it’s Netflix, Amazon or another studio – is going to make a lot of money from it.’

The Duchess of Sussex declined to comment. Netflix has been approached for comment.

Eastern suburbs socialite Lou O’Neil has prompted speculation about her weight loss after debuting a notably slimmer appearance at daughter Ophelia’s first birthday party over the weekend.

The daughter of late manufacturing magnate Donald Hay and Maribi Hay appeared almost unrecognisable in a cream lace gown, just 12 months after welcoming her first child.

In recent weeks, Lou has showcased her changing figure in a series of sheer looks and short outfits, drawing attention to her slimmer frame.

The lavish celebration was titled ‘Ophelia’s First Rodeo’ and featured a range of Western-themed details, from miniature cowboy boot goodie bags to a rocking horse.

Pastel balloons, party-hat-wearing soft toys and colourful flower arrangements filled the venue, creating a playful setting for the birthday festivities.

Lou also marked the occasion with an elaborate birthday cake designed to resemble a lavish floral bouquet.

Lou was presumably joined by her socialite sister-in-law Deborah Symond O’Neil, who hosted an equally extravagant fifth birthday party for her daughter over the same weekend.

The celebration reflected Deborah’s signature lavish style.

Her mega-mansion was transformed with unicorn-themed decorations, including enormous rainbow balloon garlands and elaborate table displays.

Adults were treated to a sumptuous buffet, while younger guests could visit a face painter or take part in jewellery-beading activities.

Although Lou and Deborah appeared to attend each other’s celebrations, one recognisable figure was absent from the photos: Poppy Tzaneros (née O’Neil).

Poppy is married to Anthony Tzaneros, whose family has faced intense scrutiny amid the financial troubles surrounding its freight company, ACFS Port Logistics.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Gangster Paul Ferris Laid to Rest at Same Crematorium as Rival

Founded by Terry Tzaneros and his son Arthur in 2005, the company entered administration in August as it faced mounting financial pressure, including a Federal Court winding-up application over almost $60 million in alleged unpaid liabilities to the Australian Taxation Office.

The situation intensified after Arthur stepped down as chief executive and managing director when leaked WhatsApp messages relating to allegations involving students at his former school, Scots College, drew widespread criticism.

Arthur subsequently apologised for his comments, describing them as insensitive, while his father Terry took over the leadership roles during the administration process. 

Despite the upheaval, the family has been working on a plan to recapitalise the business, which has continued operating under administration.

In the aftermath, family members locked down their social media and retreated behind the gates of their multimillion-dollar mansions. 

In addition to apparently missing both Lou and Deborah’s children’s parties, Poppy did not leave birthday messages for their children on any of the photos each posted from the festivities, after going to ground amid the scandal. 

Poppy was last spotted at Bondi Pilates queen Bernadette Sukkar’s Y2K-themed birthday bash in September. 

Arriving at the bash with her husband Anthony, Poppy toted a Mini Kelly Hermès handbag valued at $29,100 while channelling Y2K chic in a Manuba-print shirt from Pucci, retailing at $1,350, teamed with straight-legged blue jeans.

Her look was finished with green Amina Muaddi heels – worth about $600 on the resale market – and what appeared to be a Rolex watch. 

Anthony, meanwhile, shunned the dress code in a simple navy shirt and blue jeans, adding a dash of designer with Gucci sneakers priced at $1,520.

However, the couple were not pictured in social media snaps of the event uploaded by the birthday girl.  

Without Daily Mail’s arrival shots, anyone scrolling through the party posts might have missed Poppy’s attendance entirely.

Mourners gathered in Glasgow for the funeral of notorious gangster and author Paul Ferris, whose final farewell took place at the same crematorium where underworld rival Tam McGraw was laid to rest nearly two decades ago.

Ferris’s coffin was brought to Daldowie Crematorium, where McGraw’s funeral was held almost 20 years earlier. The two men had both sustained knife wounds during a confrontation in 2002, after Ferris alleged that McGraw was acting as a police informant.

The former gangland enforcer died aged 62 at Glasgow’s University Hospital on October 6. He leaves behind his wife, Carolyn, and their children, Paul, Dean, Carolyn, William and John-Paul.

His funeral procession featured a hearse decorated with two floral tributes bearing the words “Legend” and “Dad”.

Pallbearers carried the coffin into the crematorium as a lone bagpiper played outside, marking the arrival of the cortege.

The order of service listed a series of songs chosen for the ceremony. Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here was selected for the gathering, while Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ I Won’t Back Down accompanied the coffin’s entrance.

Sir Elton John’s Your Song played during the reflection, followed by Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms for the committal. Pink Floyd’s Coming Back To Life brought the service to a close during the recessional.

Ferris’s turbulent life later became the subject of the 2013 film The Wee Man, in which he was portrayed by Line of Duty actor Martin Compston.

He first attracted widespread public attention in 1992, when he was acquitted of murdering Arthur Thompson Jnr, the son of Glasgow crime figure Arthur Thompson Snr.

The career criminal first came to public attention in 1992 when he was cleared of the murder of Arthur Thompson Jnr, son of Glasgow crime ‘godfather’ Arthur Thompson Snr.

The acquittal followed what was, at the time, the longest criminal trial ever held in Scotland.

In 1998, Ferris faced trial at London’s Old Bailey and was found guilty of conspiring to transfer prohibited weapons, dealing in firearms and possessing explosives.

He received a ten-year prison sentence, which was later cut to seven years following an appeal.

During his imprisonment, Ferris wrote his first book, The Ferris Conspiracy. The story was subsequently adapted into The Wee Man, which won a BAFTA in 2013.

The film followed Ferris’s journey from Glasgow’s tough Blackhill district during the 1970s and 1980s to his role as an enforcer for feared crime boss Arthur Thompson Snr.

Police officers reportedly gave Ferris the nickname “Houdini”, reflecting his reputation for escaping serious criminal charges that investigators had believed were supported by strong evidence.

Following his release from prison in 2002, Ferris insisted he had left crime behind and had become a legitimate businessman with interests in the security and construction sectors.

He also published several books documenting his life and experiences.

In an interview with the Daily Record in July, Ferris said he had never been tempted to return to crime despite continued scepticism about his transformation.

He said: ‘I have either been an absolute criminal genius for the last 25 years or I have done nothing wrong. Take your pick.’ Ferris grew up just a few hundred yards from Thompson’s fortified home, known as the Ponderosa.

After leaving school at 16, he worked as a van boy before becoming involved in organised crime.

By the age of 19, he had joined Thompson’s inner circle and developed a fearsome reputation in Glasgow’s underworld.

He was cleared over the shooting of John Hogg in 1984, after Hogg was struck when gunmen targeted his cousin Willie Gibson.

Ferris later fell out with the Thompsons in a bitter split that became one of the defining feuds of Glasgow gangland.

He claimed he had been set up over a drugs bust and said only Thompson Snr and Thompson Jnr knew where he had been travelling at the time.

The feud has long been linked to the 1991 murder of Arthur Thompson Jnr, known as ‘Fat Boy’, who was shot dead outside his father’s home in Provanmill.

Shortly afterwards, Ferris’s associates Bobby Glover, 31, and Joe ‘Bananas’ Hanlon, 23, were found shot dead in a car on the day of Thompson’s funeral.

Ferris was charged with the murder of Thompson Jnr but was acquitted after the landmark High Court trial. No one else has ever been convicted over the killing.

However, he was eventually convicted following Operation Abonar, an undercover investigation involving MI5, Strathclyde Police, Scotland Yard and the South East Regional Crime Squad.

The operation caught Ferris transporting three MAC-10 submachine guns, ammunition, Uzi magazines and silencers to Glasgow in an Opal Fruits box in 1997.

Prosecutors said the weapons were destined for Glasgow’s gangland streets.

Ferris was jailed in London for ten years in 1998, later reduced to seven, and served time in Belmarsh prison.

Although he vowed to go straight after his release, he became embroiled in a feud with rival gangster McGraw.

Their dispute culminated in a violent confrontation in 2002 in which both men suffered knife injuries.

A subsequent meeting involving Ferris was recorded during police surveillance and resulted in his parole being revoked and his return to prison.

Ferris is survived by five children, none of whom he said had become involved in crime.

Ferris’s older brother Billy died in prison last year aged 75 for murdering 15-year-old schoolboy Jason Hutchison in Ayrshire in 2003.

A quarter of a century after The Lord of the Rings first reached cinemas, Peter Jackson’s extraordinary film trilogy is still revealing new surprises.

Behind-the-scenes tales from the multi-Oscar-winning production have become almost as famous as the JRR Tolkien novels that inspired it. Fans continue to debate which stories are true, dissecting the claims across Reddit threads and social media.

Did Viggo Mortensen really break his toe while kicking a helmet during the filming of The Two Towers? He did — and the actor’s anguished cry was left in the finished movie.

What about the claim that Sean Connery secretly shot a cameo after regretting his decision to turn down Gandalf? That story is false. Connery did reject the role, famously explaining that he “didn’t understand the script.”

Still, with the principal cast spending almost three years filming together in New Zealand, the production often felt more like a travelling carnival than a conventional movie set. There are enough stories about pranks, late-night antics and clashes of personality to fill an entire book.

For my new oral history of the trilogy, There and Back Again, I interviewed around 100 members of the cast and crew. Their recollections uncovered a host of little-known, forgotten and previously unheard stories about the making of The Lord of the Rings.

Gangster rap and gay bars 

The friendships forged during filming continued well beyond the set.

The cast made their way through virtually every pub and nightclub in Wellington, New Zealand. Dominic Monaghan, the young British actor who played the hobbit Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck, regularly took control of the DJ booth and sometimes kept the music going until 2am or 3am.

Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf, may have been among the older members of the ensemble, but he was frequently part of the nightlife too — and would ask Monaghan to put on gangster rap.

Monaghan recalled McKellen eventually telling him: “After a few months of this, he approached us one day and said, ‘I’m coming to all these straight bars with straight guys, and as a proudly gay man, I’d like you to come and spend time with my friends and see the life I’m living.’”

“We were a little unsure. We thought, ‘It’s not really our scene, but we’ll give it a try.’”

“So one Friday night, Billy [Boyd, who played Pippin], Elijah [Wood, who played Frodo], Orlando [Bloom, who played the elf Legolas], Sean [Astin, who played Samwise Gamgee] and I went along. I don’t think any of us knew quite whether we would fit in.”

“Billy tells a brilliant story about going to the bar for a drink, then turning around to see Orlando and me standing on a table with our shirts off, waving them around. We had an amazing night.”

Viggo goes full Method

Viggo Mortensen joined the production at the last minute, after Peter Jackson made an 11th-hour decision to replace Irish actor Stuart Townsend. Mortensen had known virtually nothing about The Lord of the Rings before being cast as Aragorn, but he quickly became part of the sprawling cast and crew.

He formed a particularly strong connection with the stunt team.

Sala Baker, the stunt performer who also played Sauron, remembered Mortensen as an intensely committed performer: “Viggo was such a dude — a complete Method actor. He would arrive without shoes, carrying nothing but a scabbard and a sword, and he kept that sword with him all the time.”

The physical demands of the trilogy’s huge battle sequences were extreme, and injuries were inevitable. Even after taking a painful blow to the mouth, Mortensen chose to carry on filming.

Baker says: ‘I did break his tooth during Helm’s Deep [a key battle in the second film]. We’re doing a fight scene and he hits me, and I end up doing this turn by accident and hit him in the mouth with my shield and it cracked his tooth.

‘They had to super glue his tooth back on to finish the scene. Then he went to the dentist after we wrapped, which was two hours later.’

Orlando Bloom was equally in awe of how the man who would become a mentor to him during filming embodied his character.

‘We’d be at a bar,’ he says, ‘and there’d be broken glass on the floor and Viggo would be walking barefoot through it.’

Ian McKellen has no hard feelings

By McKellen’s self-deprecating admission, he was not at the top of the list to play the great wizard Gandalf, commenting: ‘They only wanted me because the established stars said no. So I was in luck.’

He adds: ‘When people talk about actors’ careers, they underestimate the number of times that luck and good fortune come into play.’

MORE STORY: US Lawmakers Warn of Violence Amid Albania Anti-Government Protests

As confirmed by casting associate Scot Boland, the two men to turn down the role were Sean Connery and Anthony Hopkins.

‘Hopkins got the first offer, Sean Connery the second, and then Ian. If it had been Anthony Hopkins or Sean Connery, the portrayal would have been nothing like this milkweed sort of hippie.’

It also seemed to rankle Christopher Lee, who eventually took the role of evil wizard Saruman, that he had been passed over for Gandalf. He had spent decades courting the role and made it a point to tell McKellen when they met over dinner in New Zealand.

McKellen joked: ‘The first day I arrived… Peter [Jackson, the filmmaker] invited me to supper in Wellington with the Hobbits, and also this actor I didn’t know who was playing Saruman.

‘[Lee] announced to me and the team in general that he read Lord of the Rings every now and then and always thought he should have played Gandalf.’

Keeping Orlando’s ego in check

At the time of filming, Bloom was yet to become a big name. But that didn’t stop him playing the star on set.

‘Orlando would go around town propositioning women, and this was before the film had come out,’ Jamie Beswarick, one of the creature makers at Weta Workshop, says.

‘In Queenstown, the [cast] all stopped in this hotel and basically Orlando had a bit of an attitude and Viggo and Sean Bean were coming back from having a few drinks and knocked on his door and he was practically naked.

‘They dragged him down to the foyer and Sean sat on him and smacked him on the stomach and put him in line because he was a bit cocky.’ 

Fueled by Red Bull 

Such was the crunch time on delivering the final cut of Return of the King, Peter Jackson never saw the last edit before the night of the premiere in Wellington.

The films’ director, screenwriter and producer regularly put in 24-hour shifts, going round the clock to get them finished, on time and perfected. And his crew followed suit.

‘My longest day… was 21.5 hours,’ says hair and make-up artist Kerryn Flewell-Smith. 

‘We did work 40 hours once, all on Red Bull,’ adds Ravi Dube, who was responsible for transport logistics.

And Miranda Rivers, casting director, says: ‘There were days when I’d never felt such exhaustion. I’ve never worked those kind of hours in my life.’

So, with the final film running more than three hours and 20 minutes (the extended edition is an hour longer), it became impractical to watch it from beginning to end in its entirety before the premiere.

Such a thing is surely unheard of in Hollywood, certainly for a director who was so obsessive about every detail and editing went on until the last possible minute.

Annie Collins, additional editor on the film and in the editing suite for all three movies, explains the surreal nature of the finish better than anyone.

‘We locked film three on October 31, Peter’s birthday. And there was still work to be done because of the CGI material coming in. Peter and Jamie [Selkirk, the films’ editor] never saw the full film of Return of the King until the premiere.

‘I’ve never seen a full cut of it. I was at the premiere and I fell asleep.’

Orlando Bloom also admitted to only seeing all three films in their entirety during lockdown.

‘I watched the films for the first time with my son over Covid and he loved them. We watched the extended editions, which I had never seen before.

‘I watched it and just felt very grateful that it’s been part of my makeup. Somewhere in my physical and emotional memory, that experience has informed everything else I have done in my life.’ 

There and Back Again: The Unofficial Oral History of The Lord of the Rings Films by Sam Moore is published by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.