Meghan Markle previously said that she will not return to acting but she surprised viewers this week when she appeared in a coffee commercial as a "slightly nerdy" staffer.
The Duchess of Sussex was not hard to miss in the advertisement although she did not have any speaking parts. She appeared in a video for coffee company Clevr Blends posted on Instagram, which opens with the company's CEO and co-founder Hannah Mendoza giving a shout out to their dedicated team.
"I want to give a huge shoutout to our amazing Clevr team here at HQ. Without them, we are nothing," she says, and the former "Suits" star appears in the background hard at work packing lattes.
Mendoza then jokes that the team has been listening to "Baby One More" from Britney Spears "on loop since 2019". Then the video cuts to Mendoza in the office seated next to Meghan Markle who appears as a "very smart, only slightly nerdy digital" staffer.
The clip then shows the duchess handing out a drink from the fridge to Mendoza. The royal makes her final appearance in the ad by attempting to make a fist bump with one of the male staff members.
Clevr Blends shared the video on Instagram along with the message: "Damn, you're keeping us BUSY right now! Had to call in some reinforcements 👀💕 so grateful for the immense love and support this year—thanks for helping us keep the latte-loving dream alive, and thriving!"
Agreeing to be an extra on the commercial reportedly shows Meghan Markle's fun side. According to brand and culture expert Nick Ede, it shows the duchess "in a new light that is both fun and frivolous".
He said that the Duchess of Sussex's "departure from worthiness and dramatic revelations" is part of a "well thought out rehabilitation" of setting herself up "as a standalone brand," which he thinks is a "very positive thing to do".
Ede told the Daily Mail: "This 'fun' side to Meghan is a clever way for the brand Clevr to get a lot of social media traction and engagement by using their famous investor. I think we will see a lot more personality led content created that concentrates on Meghan as a media personality who is kind, compassionate, entertaining and not afraid to poke fun at herself."
He added: "Whether this will win over her detractors, I'm not sure, but from a brand point of view it's the strongest and most authentic way to rebuild her reputation and credibility."
Royal expert Phil Dampier also shared his thoughts on Meghan Markle's appearance on the Clevr video saying: "Meghan is not a stupid person and I think she realises that she and Harry have overdone the victim card."
He added: "She is also being advised by new PR people and I'm sure they have said they need to be more positive and not just live off criticising the Royal Family. The more natural Meghan looks the better, even if the photo opportunities might be staged."
Dampier claimed the video showing the Duchess of Sussex "in a better more relaxed way" is done on purpose. He explained that it is "all about image and nothing happens by accident".
"But I'm sure the King, William and Catherine would be delighted if they just got on with a new life in California and stopped the feuding. Meghan has a fun side and she would be better off showing that rather than claiming her life is a misery because of what happened to her while in the Royal Family," he said.
Meghan Markle has been a supporter of Clevr Blends since 2017 but was only announced as its investor in 2020. Shortly after, Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey co-signed with the brand, which sells nutrition-rich lattes "filled with magical plants to manage stress."
