Life as the Duchess of Sussex comes with a unique set of privileges, from private jets and front-row seats to television shows and cameo roles. A recent visit to the discreetly opulent Polo Lounge at the famed Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles provided another extraordinary example, where Meghan was presented with a post-prandial cappuccino featuring her own photorealistic portrait artfully floating on the foam.
The Exclusive Polo Lounge Treatment
This caffeinated masterpiece, denied to most visitors, was bestowed upon Meghan during her multi-day interview for a Harpers Bazaar cover story for their December 2025/January 2026 edition. According to the magazine, a member of staff introduced her into a room and she appeared suitably impressed, telling her lunch companions, "Oh, I recognise this picture. That's from our trip to South Africa." Harpers Bazaar noted it was a "lovely and absurd perk of celebrity," and that Meghan was tickled enough to photograph it.
She is in esteemed company at a venue that has hosted Hollywood legends like Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Frank Sinatra, though none of them were reportedly immortalised in a coffee cup. The Polo Lounge uses a specialised printer, which can cost up to £12,000, to transfer images onto drinks using edible food dyes, requiring no artistic skill from the barista.
An Uphill Battle for a Taste of Fame
For journalist Peter Sheridan, acquiring the same honour was a battle. Initially told by the hotel's communications manager that the service was not executed for guests and would create "false expectations," he persisted. After much pleading with waiters and managers, he was finally permitted to text his photo for his own "selfieccino."
He discovered that the staff do not perform this for everyone. "We have many celebrities dine with us, but only a very few are chosen to receive their picture in a coffee cup," explained one waiter. Another recalled Meghan, noting they simply Google her image, download it, and imprint it on the coffee in less than a minute.
A Fleeting Symbol of Celebrity
The art nouveau Beverly Hills Hotel, known as "the Pink Palace," is rumoured to be a home away from home for Prince Harry, who has reportedly stayed there when working late in Los Angeles. For Meghan, an investor in the American coffee brand Clevr Blends, seeing her image in her coffee may have felt like a fitting recognition of her services to the espresso cause.
For the author, the experience was a poignant reminder that fame, much like a portrait in a coffeecup, is ultimately fleeting, leaving behind little more than the dregs.
