Meghan Markle's "new surname" was brutally mocked in a new Spitting Image sketch following the announcement that the Duchess of Sussex is returning to acting.
The satirical television programme has created new comedy sketches targeting Meghan as she prepares to return to acting following an eight-year break from the screen.
The puppet show's producers have released clips on YouTube and TikTok featuring the Duchess of Sussex performing mock auditions for classic film roles, with dialogue altered to reference her royal connections.
The parodies coincide with news that the former television actress will appear in Amazon MGM Studios' upcoming film Close Personal Friends.
Meghan Markle's 'new surname' brutally mocked in Spitting Image following Duchess's announcement
|AVALON / GETTY
The 44-year-old was recently photographed on set in Pasadena, California, where sources reported she felt "genuinely excited" but admitted she was "a bit rusty".
The sketches show the puppet introducing herself as "Meghan Sussex" before delivering altered versions of famous film lines.
The "Meghan Sussex" joke stems from the Duchess's Netflix show, "With Love, Meghan", where the 44-year-old told her friend, Mindy Kaling, that she and Prince Harry use "Sussex" as their surname.
In one Spitting Image scene parodying Robert De Niro's iconic Taxi Driver monologue, the puppet begins with "You talking to me?" before adding: "Not without securing an exclusive deal with my publicist."
A Spitting Image puppet version of the Duchess of Sussex
|AVALON
A spoof of the classic Jaws line sees the fishing rod-wielding puppet declare: "We're going to need a bigger house" instead of the original boat reference.
The Liam Neeson telephone threat from Taken is reimagined with the puppet stating: "What I do have is a very particular set of skills - skills I have acquired over a very long period of career."
After pausing uncertainly, she suggests: "Writing stuff on bananas?" Another clip depicts the puppet warning: "I swear to God, Harry - ruin my take again and I will end you."
The Duchess portrayed Rachel Zane in the American legal drama Suits between 2011 and 2018, departing Hollywood after marrying Prince Harry.
Her final screen appearance was in the 2016 Hallmark Channel television film Dater's Handbook.
The couple relocated to Montecito, California, after announcing their withdrawal from senior royal responsibilities in 2020.
Her forthcoming film features an ensemble cast including Lily Collins, Brie Larson, Jack Quaid and British actor Henry Golding.
The Duchess recently attended Paris Fashion Week, her first European visit since the 2023 Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, where she met Anna Wintour, Anne Hathaway and Baz Luhrmann at a Balenciaga show.
The puppet programme returned to YouTube in September following its 2022 cancellation from streaming platform BritBox, where it had been revived in 2020 after the original 1984-1996 ITV run.
The show recently faced legal action from StudioCanal, which filed a High Court complaint regarding sketches depicting Paddington Bear as a cocaine-using podcast presenter alongside Prince Harry.
The controversial episode showed the children's character referring to "100 per cent Peruvian, biodynamic, organic, catastrophic cocaine" and calling himself "Pablo Esco-bear".
The current 12-episode series targets various public figures, including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump.