The reason Meghan Markle was forced to turn down a Strictly Come Dancing audition

It’s been reported that Meghan Markle nearly auditioned for Strictly Come Dancing but was forced to turn it down due to her role in Suits. 

• Before meeting Prince Harry, Meghan reportedly nearly made a name for herself in the UK - away from the royal family.
• According to the author of the new controversial book ‘Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war on the Windsors,’ Tom Bower, the Duchess almost auditioned for Strictly.
• This royal news (opens in new tab) comes after the Queen's special honour for Kate Middleton which shows their true bond was revealed (opens in new tab)

Meghan Markle could have become UK television royalty before she even met Prince Harry, a new book claims, as the Duchess of Sussex once almost made the Strictly Come Dancing lineup.

According to the explosive new book, Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors, author Tom Bower alleges that Meghan almost auditioned for the iconic dancing competition. 

He claims that the opportunity arose in 2013 after Meghan hired a new British talent agent, Jonathan Shalit.

She reportedly hoped to gain ‘publicity, work and an English boyfriend’ after finding success in the hit US show suits. 

The 2013 lineup featured the likes of Susanna Reid, Dave Myers and Sophie Ellis-Baxtor but sadly Meghan could not join the list.

In an extract printed in the Sun (opens in new tab), Bower alleged that Shalit arranged a Strictly audition for her - but sadly she was forced to decline. He added that she was, “tied to a Suits contract for nine months in the year, the timing clashed with filming in Britain. Disappointed, Shalit bid her farewell. She returned to Toronto without either new work or a new man.”

This did not spell the end of her UK journey though as she met Prince Harry just three years later and tied the knot in St George’s Chapel in 2018 (opens in new tab) before the pair stepped back as senior royals (opens in new tab) and moved to LA (opens in new tab).

Now Meghan has taken on a number of new business ventures, including writing her own children’s book and landing a docu-series deal with Netflix (opens in new tab). It’s reported that Meghan hopes to dive back into the acting world, with she and Harry having a ‘bright future’ as the next Hollywood ‘power couple.’ (opens in new tab)