Meghan Markle’s guest stint on MasterChef Australia was well-received Down Under, and now she’s coming back for a second round!
On July 26, the Duchess of Sussex joined Sofia Levin, Poh Ling Yeow and Jean-Christophe Novelli on the judging panel for a surprise cameo.
After her TV stint being warmly received Down Under, Meghan has signed on to judge Junior MasterChef Australia with Poh Ling Yeow.
And insiders tell New Idea that it’s all part of a bigger plan.
“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.”
There are rumours swirling that she could showcase her family on Junior MasterChef, after Prince Harry made a cameo during her last judging stint.
During an on-air FaceTime call, Meghan introduced her Harry to the contestants and showed them the dishes she was judging.
While it looked like a sweet moment, a royal insider tells 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.
Now, Meghan could be lining up a cameo for Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, to give Australian audiences a rare glimpse into their family dynamic.
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,” our source adds.
Meghan’s MasterChef expansion is also 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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