Meghan Markle stars as intern for wellness coffee brand in surprising cameo

The Duchess of Sussex has made a surprising cameo in a new advert for Clevr, a California-based wellness coffee company she invested in three years ago.

The 42-year-old royal stars as a background extra in the commercial, playing the role of Clevr’s newest intern as she stacks boxes, makes coffee, and works on a computer.

California start-up Clevr, which sells “superlattes” with wellness benefits, was launched in 2017 as a pop-up coffee bar, before pivoting to selling coffee blends infused with adaptogens and probiotics to help ease stress, sleep better, and sharpen focus.

Adaptogens are natural supplements, including herbs, roots, and mushrooms, that apparently help the body adapt to stress and promote relaxation.

The video features company co-founder and chief executive Hannah Mendoza taking viewers on a tour of the company headquarters in Santa Barbara, with Meghan looking hard at work in the background for the entire duration of the ad.

In the final shot, she humorously misses a fist bump with another team member before walking off camera, laughing

The “women-led, mission driven wellness company” selling adaptogen-infused powder coffee blends for $28-a-pop was one of Meghan’s first investments since she and Prince Harry quit the royal family and relocated to Montecito, California, in 2020.

"This investment is in support of a passionate female entrepreneur who prioritises building community alongside her business,” Meghan said, in a statement at the time.

“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.”

Mendoza said the Clevr’s success still “blows my mind” and explained how Meghan ended up investing in the company, in a video posted on Instagram earlier this year.

“Three years ago, everything changed. None other than Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, had started drinking our lattes,” she said.

“Not only did she love the product but she was extremely passionate about female founders and sustainable sourcing.

“Meghan ended up becoming our first investor, advisor and biggest Clevr advocate. Our small but mighty team was so not ready for this and ended up selling out for two months.

“We grew our team. launched amazing new products and decided to dip our toe into retail. We owe so much of that to women uplifting women....we have big plans for the future.”

She also revealed Meghan sent samples of Clevr’s product range to her friends, including American TV host Oprah Winfrey.

Winfrey, 69, then shared a video of herself frothing up one of Clevr’s Golden SuperLatte, a turmeric latte with alleged mood-boosting and stress-busting qualities, after receiving the basket from “my friend M”.

Commenting on Winfrey’s video spotlighting her brand, Mendoza said: “Our small but mighty team was 100 per cent not ready for this and ended up selling out for two months.”

At the time, she told Vanity Fair that Clevr has sold over six million lattes fuelled by “the power of women uplifting women”.