Meghan Markle was greeted by stunned MasterChef Australia contestants as she starred as a guest judge on the hit TV show in an episode filmed during her trip with Prince Harry
Meghan Markle has starred in an episode of MasterChef Australia – and made a surprising revelation about her children’s eating habits.
The Duchess of Sussex, 44, was seen giving tips to aspiring cooks on the hit TV show, alongside judges Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli.
Her appearance was a surprise to the contestants, who stood either side to applaud her as she entered the studio. The episode was filmed during Meghan’s visit to Australia with Prince Harry in April. But there was a further when Harry joined in the show via live videolink – with Meghan describing him as a “charmer”.
Meghan joined the show as astounded chefs were told were told to transform a larder ingredient into a dish “fit for a duchess”. After choosing the ingredients the chefs would be using in their challenge, Meghan told them they had “quite the bounty” – and went on to share that Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, “eat Brussels sprouts.”
“Alright, so you have quite the bounty here,” Meghan said. “I really wanted to do things that gives you something to play with. So, you have, of course, some citrus, you have lemon, you have macadamia nuts, some beautiful local Australian honey, Brussels sprouts—my kids eat Brussels sprouts.”
During the episode Meghan also spoke of her love of cooking, as she said: “Food and cooking to me is really a love language.
“I think it’s such a great way to connect. It’s something that can feel sentimental and meaningful and It’s how I, it’s how I show my nurturing and love for my friends, family, and my kids.”
Behind the scenes footage showed her smiling as she spoke to fellow judges and contestants. Meghan explained why she wanted to take part in the episode when her appearance was announced earlier this month.
She said: “What attracted me to the MasterChef Australia kitchen? Two things: my love of food and my love of Australia. It was an easy yes. It’s such a great show. I’m just really honoured that I was asked to be able to be here with you and to be able to judge some of these meals.”
The fresh surprise came with Harry’s appearance during the show’s judging portion when he called to check in. “Hi, my love,” Meghan said after producers handed her a phone, introducing Harry to contestants and judges and showing him the dishes.
“My husband’s here,” she told the stunned crowd. “He’s a charmer, isn’t he?” she said after the phone call ended.
The broadcast comes after controversy swirled over the description of the Sussex couple as ‘royalty’ by the producers of the show.
In a promotional clip for the show, judge Ms Yeow is heard saying: “We’ve had MasterChef royalty in the kitchen before, but nothing like this.”
But Meghan and her team only heard the wording in the trailer when it was put out to the public and were not pleased, according to Australian news outlet News.com.au.
An insider reportedly claimed the pair were “very frustrated”, as they had reportedly made clear they wanted the word ‘royal’ not to be used.
Poh Ling was said to have been left feeling “upset” over the fallout, as one source told New Idea: “It wasn’t about Meghan personally.
“Poh felt she had been unintentionally drawn into a royal protocol issue she never intended to be part of.”
