On Sunday, the MasterChef Australia episode with the Duchess of Sussex’s guest appearance will air. She filmed this back in April, coming in as a guest judge and selecting the ingredients for the challenge. This week, a local Australian news show previewed her episode too (I’m including the clip again at the end of the post). Alongside all of the buzz about the episode, the Australian tabloids have tried to cook up some exceptionally dumb gossip and scandal. “Sources” swear that Meghan stomped into the MasterChef studio, sent an email at 5 am and made everyone cry! I’m barely exaggerating. Well, People Magazine has an exclusive where Meghan’s team is like “there was no drama, Meghan loved appearing on the show!”
Reports of behind-the-scenes frustration surrounding Meghan Markle’s appearance on MasterChef Australia are being firmly disputed by a source close to the Duchess of Sussex.
The source tells PEOPLE that Meghan, 44, “had a great time” filming the episode alongside judges, including Poh Ling Yeow, and says suggestions otherwise are “false.”
“Meghan and the MasterChef judges had a great time on set together,” the close source tells PEOPLE. “They immediately had such a great rapport and had a really fun time working with the contestants and crew as well. Meghan left the set that day with such a positive experience.”
“Any reporting otherwise is false,” the source adds.
The comments come after reports that Meghan and her team were frustrated by the Duchess of Sussex’s on-air introduction in a promotional clip for MasterChef Australia, specifically the use of the word “royalty.”
The promo, filmed in April while Meghan was visiting Australia with Prince Harry, showed judge Poh Ling Yeow welcoming her to the kitchen. “We’ve had MasterChef royalty in the kitchen before, but nothing like this,” the MasterChef judge said. “All the way from sunny California, please welcome to MasterChef Australia…the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle!”
News.com.au, citing an unnamed source, reported that Meghan and her team were “very frustrated” by the introduction, alleging they had specifically requested that the word “royal” not be used. The source also claimed they were outside the studio when the introduction was filmed and didn’t hear it until the promo aired. Australian outlet New Idea separately quoted an unnamed source who claimed Yeow, 52, was upset by the controversy.
Here’s the thing about the lie that Meghan didn’t want anyone to mention “royalty” – the whole theme of the challenge was apparently “fit for a duchess.” All of that – the script, the challenge, the food selected by Meghan – would have been worked out ahead of time. It’s not like Meghan barged into the studio cold and demanded that no one say “royalty” around her. Please. There’s no drama here.
Screencaps courtesy of 10 News Sydney and MasterChef Australia. Additional photos courtesy of Cover Images and MasterChef’s Instagram.
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- The Duchess of Sussex, alongside staff members, serves lunch to a resident during a visit to McAuley Community Services for Women, a women’s homeless and family violence shelter in Footscray, in Melbourne, Victoria, on day one of the royal trip to Australia. Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Where: Footscray, Australia When: 14 Apr 2026 Credit: Jonathan Brady/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duchess of Sussex serves lunch to a resident during a visit to McAuley Community Services for Women, a women’s homeless and family violence shelter in Footscray, in Melbourne, Victoria, on day one of the royal trip to Australia. Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Where: Footscray, Australia When: 14 Apr 2026 Credit: Jonathan Brady/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
New Idea haven’t written a positive article about Meghan for 6 years .
Every front page is a horrible photo and lies .about the Sussex .
Terrible magazine .
💯 % There’s a reason they’re known locally as No Idea
It’s always a unnamed sources that won’t go on the record, about something that they think Meghan should have a problem with, not anything she’s ever expressed having an issue with herself.
It starts with articles saying, “Meghan’s going to be so upset that she has to do this or this happened”, that never occurs, so here comes an anonymously sourced story about how Meghan was so bothered about that thing that they said that she would be bothered by.
It’s funny though, because one of the guests went on the record about how they were awestruck and she was so genuine and kind. So, yet again who are we to believe? People who go on the record about how nice, kind, thoughtful she is with their names, or anonymously sourced insiders or people familiar with the matter who tell us vague things like she yelled without yelling, and was frustrated.
If she was this consistent asshole at this point somebody would use their name and go on the record because too many people would know in the background it’s true. They won’t because they’re lying.
Also, even if it was true how in the hell is being frustrated by someone calling you something you didn’t want them to bullying??!
I will be searching YouTube for this episode.. excited to see it for myself.
Since Meghan announced that her name is Sussex not Markle, why did the show use it? They could have introduced her as Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex. That’s the bit that I’m wondering why she didn’t correct it.
After all the I’m Sussex Now flak, why would she do the same thing again? Meghan was a guest on a show and didn’t let anyone throw her off her game.
Ohhh, I didn’t realize Meghan chose the ingredients. Now I’m excited to see what she picked. This is only airing in Australia?
Murdoch-owned masthead news.com.au…. what a surprise ….
No drama. One can only hope and do one’s best. But other people present a serious challenge! One of the main reasons I respect Meghan is that she makes no excuses about protecting herself to the best of her ability from the drama others want to create around her. Even her own family. She did not let anyone shame or guilt her into inviting problematic family members to her wedding. It takes a lot of strength to resist the demands of society and family for your own protection. I am in the middle of something similar now and it’s really hard. She held strong knowing what was best for her and continues to deal with the insults. But bottom line, she never betrayed her own self-preservation instinct and she came out of it well and with no regrets. There’s a lesson here for those of us who tend to give in to others at a deep cost to ourselves.
What are we doing here? The press can’t decide what narrative to rely on. Weren’t the press saying last week that Meghan was desperate for the royal links so why would she upset to be referred to as royalty? This is stupid.