On the sheer volume of headlines alone, it’s hard to believe it’s been only five days since news first broke of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s return to Britain.

The couple, along with their two children, have secured a private residence outside London and enrolled Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, in school. As news.com.au was first to report last Friday, the Duchess of Sussex is also planning to return to acting, eyeing off a role in a well-known UK production.

Bombshell after bombshell.

The show she’s reportedly been “in talks” for some time to appear in? Guy Ritchie’s hit Netflix series, The Gentlemen, which is just weeks away from its season two premiere. The Hollywood Reporter quickly confirmed the story, adding that Meghan was in “advanced discussions” to appear in an as-yet unannounced third season.

These were, from most accounts, the basic agreed details related to the Sussexes’ move. But over the weekend, a tweet from former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown set off a storm of speculation that the offer may already be dead in the water.

“I learned this morning that the casting of Meghan Markle in season 3 of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen has been withdrawn,” wrote Brown in her Substack column on Saturday, igniting a veritable media frenzy.

When approached by The Hollywood Reporter, Brown stood firmly by her story. Curiously, 24 hours later: no further details, sources or confirmation from any industry publications had emerged.

And as entertainment sources have now confirmed to me – as far as they’re aware, “nothing has changed” and discussions are going to continue.

It’s been confusing, to say the least – but here’s what we’ve been hearing:

Meghan’s decision to return to acting, almost a decade after she stepped back from her role in Suits to join then-boyfriend Harry in Britain, came after she first dipped her toe back into the showbiz water late last year with a small cameo as herself in Close Personal Friends, starring Brie Larson, Jack Quaid and Lily Collins.

On the film set in California’s Pasadena last November, she was “very relaxed and happy”, as a source told People at the time.

In recent months, and with that film role clearly signalling her interest in potential opportunities, it’s believed a number of new offers have now landed on the table and are being seriously considered by Meghan and her team.

Among them, as we now know, is The Gentlemen – with the duchess said to be particularly excited about the prospect of joining the cast, if the deal is confirmed. The show itself has proven a major success for the streaming service – and on a practical level, would mean the stars had aligned for her and Harry’s move back to the UK, where the series is filmed.

Last week, a source close to the Sussexes indicated to news.com.au that the return to her previous line of work was a significant factor in their decision to relocate – though, of course, not the full picture for the family of four.

For as we know, it’s been made very clear by Harry recently that he’s keen to spend a more significant period of time in his home country, and have his children forge closer relationships with his wider family. He’s also retained strong ties to several charities based in the UK, including Scotty’s Little Soldiers and WellChild – and of course, the jewel in his crown (metaphorically, relax) is the Invictus Games, set for Birmingham next July.

News.com.au understands that the successful enrolment of their two children in their chosen British school was yet another piece of the puzzle.

Harry and Meghan’s imminent (and seismic) return to the country they so dramatically left six and a half years ago has already generated global interest – now, we’ll just have to wait and see how they choose to forge new lives in their former home.

Read related topics:Netflix