Meghan Markle’s guest stint on MasterChef Australia was well-received Down Under, with one source telling New Idea that it’s all part of a bigger plan.
During the episode on July 26, the Duchess of Sussex joined Sofia Levin, Poh Ling Yeow and Jean-Christophe Novelli, and asked the contestants to work with her favourite ingredients.
Fans also warmed to the surprise cameo Prince Harry made, after the producers interrupted the judging to say Meghan was receiving a FaceTime call.
During their small call, Meghan introduced her husband to the contestants and showed them the dishes she was judging. At the time, Harry was in Canberra, so he was unable to attend.
While it looked like a sweet moment, a royal insider reveals to New Idea that the move was “carefully curated” to showcase their relationship dynamic.
“Harry and Meghan are constantly on the defence when it comes to their relationship, so they’re going to take any chance they can to project a warm, loving and ‘normal’ marriage, so his charming ‘sorry to disturb you’s’ and spicy-food jokes are a welcome balance to Meghan’s Americanisms,” the expert tells us.
Our source claims that the episode was a branding exercise in the hopes of humanising former actor Meghan and reintroducing her to the Australian public as part of an expansion of her lifestyle brand As Ever Down Under.
“It’s clear this is one of Meghan’s dreams to be on a show like this and Australia was always going to be a big push for As Ever,” the insider tells us.
“Harry and Meghan’s opportunities are drying up in America, and they are looking further afield, hoping his leverage as a royal will endear them to countries associated with the UK.”
Their April return to Australia marked their first visit since October 2018, when they announced Meghan was expecting now-seven-year-old Archie, so plenty has changed since then.
“They always wanted to go back to Australia, not to apologise, but to reintroduce themselves as friendly and accessible.”
Meghan’s MasterChef stint was a rare TV appearance for the Duchess, and it is believed to be part of a strategy to expand her As Ever brand to Australia.
It looks like it has been a long-term goal for the Duchess, because she filed with the Australian Government’s intellectual property office in September 2024, which was then approved in June 2025.
The filings are believed to cover candles, clothing, jewellery, gardening, homewares, gardening products and skincare.
At the time of publication, her products can only be bought online, or in the US.
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