The Japan Times - Meghan Markle set for big screen return: reports

The Duchess of Sussex was reportedly shooting scenes for "Close Personal Friends," which features "Emily in Paris" star Lily Collins, alongside Jack Quaid, Brie Larson and Henry Golding.

Entertainment title Variety said the comedy "revolves around a 'regular' couple that meets a celebrity couple while on a trip to Santa Barbara."

Markle starred in legal romp "Suits" for seven seasons before her fairytale wedding to the second son of Britain's King Charles.

But she has not acted in seven years, after indicating she was giving up the profession.

The couple, who live in California after a bust-up with the British royal family, no longer have access to the public purse, relying instead on a pricey deal with Netflix and Markle's nascent lifestyle brand.

The Netflix deal has spawned the popular, if much-mocked, series "With Love, Meghan," which features Markle as a thriving domestic maven in a fictionalized home, hosting guests, harvesting honey and mixing bath salts.

Despite being blasted by critics as "pointless," it has been extended for a second season, and a holiday special is due in December.

The couple have struggled to capture the public's imagination since "Harry & Meghan," a six-episode tell-all about their relationship and exit from the House of Windsor, which drew 23 million views in its first four days -- a record for a Netflix documentary.

Harry and his wife stepped away from royal duties in 2020 as relations with his family -- especially his brother William -- spiralled.

His blockbuster memoir "Spare" in January 2023 upset Buckingham Palace with its criticism of family members, including William's wife Catherine and his stepmother Queen Camilla.

He has since voiced hopes for a "reconciliation" and in September met Charles, 76, in London, months after it was revealed the monarch is undergoing treatment for an undisclosed cancer.

Harry's uncle, Andrew, was stripped of his royal titles last month, after years of scandal over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a one-time friend of US President Donald Trump.

S.Yamamoto--JT