Cleopatra was not African. She was Macedonian Greek and a descendant of Ptolemy I Soter, a general in the army of Alexander the Great. She would probably have looked Mediterranean, like most Greeks today.
I don’t think that the Greeks, or Italians, acquired the “Med” characteristics until being invaded and occupied by the Muzz. I’d venture to say she wasn’t much darker than middle Europeans of that era.
“She would probably have looked Mediterranean, like most Greeks today.”
Possibly even gaulic or slavic. Macedonia had a lot of “barbarian” tribes on their borders as well.