Meghan Markle was reportedly shortlisted to be the next Bond girl before her relationship with Prince Harry took off.
The 36-year-old actress has had to leave her Hollywood dreams behind her since finding love with the flame-haired royal – whom she is set to marry in May next year – and that includes abandoning her chances of becoming an iconic Bond girl in the next James Bond movie, which was set for release in 2019.
Sources claim Meghan was put on a shortlist alongside actresses including Ilfenesh Hadera and Margot Robbie, but was deemed "out of the running" when her romance with Prince Harry came to light.
An insider told The Sun newspaper: "Meghan fits the role of a Bond girl perfectly. She’s glamorous and sexy and a good actress. The role more recently has gone to actresses deemed to be rising stars, and Meghan certainly was seen as that before her relationship with Harry became public. The brief was to find a glamorous rising star, specifically someone American or Canadian.
"Producers had narrowed down her and four other actresses on a shortlist last year with Bond 25 in mind. But the minute her relationship to Harry came to light they assumed she was out of the running so it soon became a list of four. Her engagement effectively spelt an end to her acting career too so that was the final blow."
Since becoming engaged to Harry, 33, Meghan has given up her career as an actress – for which she was most known as Rachel Zane in legal drama ‘Suits’ – and Kensington Palace recently confirmed she would also be stepping down from her charity work with the United Nations, World Vision Canada, and One Young World.
But Meghan doesn’t see her decisions as "giving up".
When asked about her decision to give up acting, Meghan said: "I don’t see it as giving anything up. I just see it as a change."
Meghan will tie the knot with Prince Harry on May 19 next year, at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Meghan Markle considered for Bond girl role
