The linen shirts have been tucked away, the baking tins are back in the cupboard, and Netflix has stopped filming slow-motion shots of chicken feeding. Presumably someone else is scattering organic seeds for the hens now.

Instead, royal watchers have spent the past fortnight captivated by Meghan Markle’s high-glamour comeback.

In just two weeks, the archetypal Californian housewife has made a splash in Paris with a surprise front-row Fashion Week appearance, scooped up an award, wined and dined with celebrity pals in the Big Apple, and breezed into Washington, D.C., to deliver a keynote address.

So, will the real Duchess of Sussex please stand up?

Until recently, the former Suits actress seemed to be cultivating a sort of Martha Stewart-inspired public image rooted in wholesome homemaking, courtesy of her series With Love, Meghan and social media posts.

Think As Ever jam jars, edible flowers, and a steady stream of rosé.

Dare I say it, even the trad wives were living for it.

Meanwhile, her husband Prince Harry has taken a different route, continuing to evolve into the space of a pseudo-royal.

With tell-all memoirs and snippy interviews in the rearview mirror, the prince has returned to the kind of humanitarian work he championed before his move to the U.S.

During a recent trip to London, he resembled the Harry of old as he animatedly chatted with hospital staff and young patients in his role as WellChild patron.

There was even an olive branch extended from the Sussexes, with reports that Harry’s camp had offered to share his diary of engagements with the main branch of the Royal Family to avoid awkward clashes.

Yet, just as it seemed Meghan and Harry had finally settled into new roles in 2025, a fresh identity crisis appears to be brewing.

Their latest brand refresh? A return to the glitz and glamour of the celebrity A-list.

It started, of course, with thatfront row appearance at the Balenciaga show.

For those in the farrr-shun know, Balenciaga is a top-tier design house – so Meghan’s attendance as the brand’s surprise reveal guest is a coup on all sides.

Indeed, reports from the runway show suggested that all eyes were on the duchess.

Afterwards, Meghan suggested that Balenciaga’s Creative Director, Pierpaolo Piccioli, had personally invited her to the runway show as ‘the culmination of many years of… friendship’.

Yet a later interview with Piccioli painted a rather different picture.

Pierpaolo said that Meghan – with whom he’s exchanged text messages intermittently over the years – reached out to ask if she could attend the October 4 runway show, effectively inviting herself.

Nevertheless, the fabulous life of a jet-setting A-lister must roll on. Meghan – now with husband Harry in tow – headed next to New York City.

The reason for the trip was to receive an award at the Project Healthy Minds gala.

Donning his-and-hers black two-piece suits, the elegant couple walked the red carpet before proudly accepting the Humanitarians of the Year accolade.

While it’s not an Emmywe’re sure it’ll still look great on the mantlepiece.

While in New York, the couple embraced true celebrity style.

Meghan and Harry were spotted – not once, but twice – at exclusive members club Soho House.

One outing saw the royal couple grab lunch with Serena Williams. On another evening, they were seen dining with Ed Sheeran.

Naturally, these outings were documented by the ever-present media posted outside Soho House.

Still, it’s hard to ignore that the Sussexes’ star-studded circle remains much the same as it ever was, and they don’t seem to be expanding their celebrity Rolodex.

Adding to the glamour of the past few days, Chrissy Teigen also chimed in with an unexpected endorsement to remind everyone how kind and down-to-earth Meghan is.

‘It is insane to me how polarising she is for so many different people, when she really is just such a kind, good person that wants the best for all her friends and the best for people around her, and the best for her own relationship and for her children,’ Chrissy told People magazine.

Whether a nod from Chrissy – herself arguably as divisive as Meghan – will win hearts and minds remains to be seen, however.

The celebrity makeover kept on rolling with yet another headline-worthy appearance.

Days later, Meghan joined the likes of Kamala Harris and Selena Gomez in Washington, D.C., to attend Fortune’s annual Most Powerful Women Summit.

Looking business chic in an all-white ensemble, she took to the stage on October 14 to reflect on her lifestyle brand and entrepreneurial endeavours.

Fashion shows, Soho House, women’s summits – this all certainly sounds like the bingo card of a bona fide Hollywood A-lister.

With impeccable timing, royal commentator Jennie Bond mused this week that her interpretation of Harry and Meghan was that they have ‘moved on from their royal roles’ – and are instead leaning into all the glitz and glamour.

‘They are now full-blown celebrities,’ she declared to The Mirror.

How full-blown? Well, that all depends on how well this latest celebrity-led PR offensive to shoot Meghan and Harry onto the A-list pans out.

After all, we’ve seen countless reinventions of Meghan – from Hollywood star to royal, advocate to Netflix homemaker, and now back to Hollywood. It’s becoming hard to keep up.