Being the Duchess of Sussex certainly comes with a unique set of advantages.

From private jet travel and prime seating at sports events to exclusive access to fashion shows and invitations to glamorous galas, the perks are numerous. Add to that the opportunity for your own television lifestyle series and cameo appearances in star-studded films.

Recently, during a cover story interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Meghan Markle experienced yet another luxury at the famed Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge in Los Angeles. There, she was served a cappuccino adorned with a ‘photorealistic’ portrait of herself, floating elegantly atop the frothy foam like an exquisite piece of culinary art.

Such personalized caffeinated treats are typically reserved for the elite, but on Friday, I had a rare moment of joining Hollywood’s elite with my own visage smiling back at me from a cappuccino.

However, unlike the Duchess, my journey to attain this singular honor was anything but straightforward and required some persistence.

“Ah yes, Meghan Markle, I remember her,” remarked a perfectly dressed waiter in a white jacket at the Polo Lounge.

‘We have many celebrities dine with us, but Meghan I remember.

‘She did not ask for her photo to be placed in a cappuccino; we do that for certain special guests, only a few. It’s easy to Google her on the computer, download her photo, and in less than a minute her face is on the coffee.’

Peter Sheridan visited the Polo Lounge at the famed Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, where Meghan was interviewed for a cover story by Harpers Bazaar

Mug shot: He was treated to a post-prandial cappuccino with his own ‘photorealistic’ portrait on top of the frothy white foam

The Duchess of Sussex, 44, appeared on the front of the magazine’s December 2025/January 2026 edition, which reveals how a member of staff introduced her into a room of two

Meghan appeared suitably impressed to see herself staring back from the froth in her cup, telling her lunch companions: ‘Oh, I recognise this picture. That’s from our trip to South Africa.’

Harpers Bazaar noted: ‘It’s a lovely and absurd perk of celebrity, and Meghan is tickled enough to take a photo of it.’

She should certainly feel flattered. The Polo Lounge has hosted such Hollywood legends as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Charlie Chaplin, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra and Humphrey Bogart – but not one of them was immortalised, however briefly, in a coffeecup.

It was surely no accident that in such a see-and-be-seen venue Meghan was situated at a prominent table, so that passing celebrities could genuflect and pay homage.

The art nouveau Beverly Hills Hotel, known to locals as ‘the Pink Palace,’ is part of the group that includes London’s Dorchester Hotel, and has been rumoured to be a home away from home for her husband Prince Harry. 

He is understood to have spent periods working and staying there when caught late in Los Angeles, rather than making the 90-mile trek north to their California home in Montecito.

The Polo Lounge uses a specialised printer – they can cost up to £12,000 – to transfer Meghan’s mugshot into her coffee mug using edible food dyes. 

The ink-jet style machine paints a vivid picture with remarkable detail into the foam, requiring no artistic skill on the part of the barista.

‘For special occasions we can print “Happy Birthday” into a guest’s cappuccino, or “Beverly Hills Hotel,”’ explains another waiter. 

‘But it’s not something we do for everybody. We have many celebrities dine with us, but only a very few are chosen to receive their picture in a coffee cup.’

The Polo Lounge has hosted such Hollywood legends as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Charlie Chaplin, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra and Humphrey Bogart. Pictured: Mr Sheridan outside the famed restaurant

The Duchess of Sussex, 44, appeared in the  Harpers Bazaar’s December 2025/January 2026 edition, which reveals how a member of staff introduced her into a room of two 

Unsurprisingly, I was not one of those celebrities. I have to ask for a plastic lid for my brew at my local coffeeshop, let alone have them paint my ‘selfieccino’ atop the foam. 

And for a time it seemed I would not be one of the Polo Lounge’s rare elite.

‘This service is not something that we execute for guests,’ said Beverly Hills Hotel communications manager Caroline Busch, declining my initial hope for a liquid portrait, since clearly I wasn’t going to get one without asking. 

She was concerned that acceding to my request ‘will create false expectations’ among others who can only aspire to one day joining Hollywood’s A-List. 

She also mentioned ‘our privacy policy for our Polo Lounge guests,’ as if Meghan had not sanctioned her multi-day interview with Harpers Bazaar, and as if her portrait in a cappuccino was protected by an NDA – which, knowing Meghan, it might have been.

But having covered war zones, riots, earthquakes and wildfires, I was not to be denied. 

I appealed to the kind-heartedness of waiters anticipating a large gratuity, who were persuaded to ask the restaurant manager, who interceded with the barista.

Like Meghan, I ordered the Polo Power Bowl – a vegan concoction of wild rice, fried tofu and seasonal veggies for £34 – and a £9 cappuccino, though Meghan’s was doubtless comped.

After much pleading, I was finally given permission to text my photo to the Polo Lounge for imprinting on a hot brew.

I asked numerous waiters if they had been the one fortunate enough to have served Meghan with her cappuccino portrait, but all politely said they didn’t think it was them. 

Perhaps they have seen so many royals – past hotel guests have included King Charles (as the Prince of Wales), William and Kate, Princess Margaret, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor – that they have forgotten serving Meghan? Or perhaps it is their nod to customer privacy?

For Meghan, who since 2020 has been an investor in American coffee brand Clevr Blends, and who showed viewers of her Netflix series ‘With Love, Meghan’ how to make at-home coffee more luxurious with home-made coffee creamer, seeing her ubiquitous image floating atop a coffeecup may have felt like a well-earned recognition for her services to espresso.

For me, it was a reminder that fame, like a portrait in a coffeecup, is fleeting, and like most cups of coffee ends with only the dregs.