Last night I had a dream that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry (open in new tab) knew my name. We met at a party and Markle looked at me as if she had known me all along. It was spectacular to be so thoroughly seen by the Duchess (opens in new tab), even if she was literally a figment of my imagination.

So how good it would feel to look in the mirror and see Markle staring back at you. Kansas City, Missouri-based influencer Akeisha Varnado Rand bears a striking resemblance to Markle, who has gone from actress to royal to "commoner" (open in new tab). Yesterday, Rand posted a selfie with her daughter Grayson on their joint Instagram account (opens in new tab) (with a whopping 162,000 followers).

Not surprisingly, the photo went viral. See! Rand is Markle. Markle is Rand. I don't know how much of this is Duchess and how much is mommy influencer.

In the comments section of this photo, people expressed disbelief that Rand looked exactly like Markle. Someone wrote, "For a second I thought it was Meghan Markle." Another commented, "She looks very much like Markle!" Another commented, "She looks so much like Markle! The photo even caused confusion: "At first I thought it was Markle! But I was confused because I don't remember following her lol."

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This one photo propelled Rand to viral stardom. Within the past day, this Markle look-alike has been interviewed by the Daily Mail (open in new tab) and E! News (open in new tab) and has been the subject of articles from publications around the world.

While this kind of media attention is rare, Rand is no doubt accustomed to being compared (opens in new tab). Strangers have asked, "Has anyone ever told you you look like someone else?" always approach her with the standard cut-off phrase, "I'm not sure.

"I get compared to her a lot, and not just online. In church, at the movie theater, at the grocery store, ...... Even close friends and family say I look like her! And even though I don't think I look like her myself, I definitely take it as a huge compliment," Rand told the (opens in new tab) Daily Mail (opens in new tab).

Although Rand is an influencer, she is not usually in the spotlight on her Instagram account; her daughter Grayson is the star (opens in new tab). In fact, Rand told BuzzFeed (opens in new tab)News (opens in new tab) in 2018 that Rand originally started the Instagram account for herself but eventually focused on Grayson because people and brands became obsessed with her adorable daughter She said she changed the name of the account to focus on Grayson because people and brands were obsessed with her adorable daughter.

"It's changed so much! I'm not used to being on the front lines. I'm used to my kids. It's overwhelming," Rand told E! News (opens in new tab).

This feeling is not always welcome. Rand told E! News that this challenge to stardom has made her "anxious." But the experience has also made her realize that being in the limelight suits her. Rand told E! News, "I'm going to try to get in front of the camera more from now on."

It also expanded her career possibilities. In addition to running a successful Instagram account, now that the Duchess is living in North America (opens in new tab) with her family, Rand can work prolifically in Markle's stead.

"I always joke that I need to have someone contact her people to tell them that if she doesn't want to go to an invited event, I can always stand in for her as her doppelganger," Rand told the Daily Mail newspaper.

We are saying that ...... We may not look like Ms. Markle, but we can still mimic her wry, knowing smile and have a powerful day.

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