“Imagine leaving the most famous family in the world, only to end up as an extra in a coffee ad”.

This comment from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s regular social media followers pretty much sums up the Duchess of Sussex’s latest bid to get back in the Hollywood groove as an actress.

Meghan was this week revealed in a surprise cameo role in a coffee commercial … and there’s a twist.

It was all down to Hannah Mendoza, co-founder of Los Angeles-based instant latte brand, Clevr. She uploaded a video to Instagram on Tuesday, welcoming viewers to “Clevr HQ”.

Clevr says it makes super-powered lattes for energy, stress and sleep, is barista-approved, science-backed and is on Oprah Winfrey’s “favourite things” list. Back in 2020, the California-based duchess confirmed she had invested in the company.

In Tuesday’s video, Mendoza gives a tour of Clevr’s many departments, showing her busy staff preparing and packing lattes.

“Damn, you’re keeping us BUSY right now! Had to call in some reinforcements,” reads the caption below the video, which has since gone viral.

“I want to give a huge shout-out to our amazing Clevr team here at HQ. Without them, we are nothing,” says Mendoza as she introduces the “fulfilment crew” who are packing boxes.

Wait, said fans online, is that who I think it is?

“That intern in the back looks mighty familiar,” said one

And this, from a slightly more cynical POV: “Always willing to roll up her sleeves and do the work. We love a hard-working duchess”.

Harry and Meghan famously quit the British royal family in 2020 and settled in Montecito, where they are raising son Archie, 4, and two-year-old daughter Lilibet.

They launched their non-royal Archewell Foundation charity and have contributed their public profiles to mental health organisations over the past three years.

The foundation’s annual report, released on December 13, revealed Archewell donated $US1.2 million ($1.8 million) to charity, including helping Afghan women in the US, tackling misinformation and a mine charity made famous by Harry’s late mother Princess Diana.

“The most recent tax returns show that Prince Harry and Meghan don’t draw an income from the charity, and are listed as directors working an average of one hour per week,” reported the BBC. 

The income stream for the former royal has come mostly from lucrative Netflix and Spotify deals, and Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare.

Meghan has not returned to the small screen since leaving the legal drama Suits in 2018, in the months before her marriage. She played lawyer and former paralegal Rachel Zane in 108 episodes.

According to IMDb, the duchess has an animation series, Pearl, listed on which she is credited as co-creator and writer. There are no upcoming acting credits.

The twist

The Duchess of Sussex is a private investor in Clevr, which started out from a “funky pop-up coffee bar” in Santa Barbara, California, according to People magazine.

“This investment is in support of a passionate female entrepreneur who prioritises building community alongside her business,” Meghan told the magazine in 2020.

“I’m proud to invest in Hannah’s commitment to sourcing ethical ingredients and creating a product that I personally love and has a holistic approach to wellness. I believe in her and I believe in her company.”

Hence, Meghan’s fans loved her little cameo as the “new hire”.

“This is absolute genius,” echoed the sentiments of many.

Mendoza tells us the team has “been listening to Britney [Spears] on loop since 2019”, as the video zooms in to show Meghan “lovingly packing lattes”.

She is also seen sitting in an office as Mendoza introduces her “very smart, only slightly nerdy digital team” – with Meghan at a desk wearing glasses and casual office clothes.

As Mendoza walks outside to introduce “the glue that holds us all together”, Meghan is there again, this time handing Mendoza a drink from a fridge.

The last shot shows Meghan doing a “failed” fist pump with a colleague, missing his hand altogether before laughing into the camera.

“So Clevr”.