Meghan Markle declined her Duchess title during a surprise turn of events on Sunday night's episode of MasterChef Australia. When chef Poh Ling Yeow introduced her as a guest judge and asked, "Do I call you Duchess?" Meghan replied, "Oh, call me Meghan. Absolutely, yeah."
Rejection of Royal Title
The moment came after Poh had challenged contestants to create a dish 'fit for a Duchess'. Despite that, Meghan batted away the title. The rebuke may surprise royalists, as earlier reports suggested she liked the title and was even formally introduced as Duchess at home. In a front-page Harper's Bazaar interview, writer Kaitlyn Greenidge noted that Meghan was announced as "Meghan, Duchess of Sussex" twice during the interview.
Love for Australia and Family
On the show, Meghan declared her love for Australia, calling it a sentimental place where she and Prince Harry announced they were expecting their first child eight years ago. She also revealed their different palates: Harry, "being from the UK," prefers meat, potatoes, and cream sauce, while she, "as a California girl," likes grilled fish, meats, citrus with natural herbs and spices. They both share a love for spice.
Meghan proudly said their children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, are "great eaters" who even enjoy Brussels sprouts. That ingredient was part of her challenge for contestants, who had to create a personal dish using some of her favourite seasonals: carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, Brussels sprouts, celeriac, Australian honey, macadamia nuts, quince, lemons, apples, mandarins, and strawberries. She gushed over finalist Petro Papathomas's celeriac ice cream dessert with pickled apples and hazelnut crumb, calling it "creative and courageous."
Prince Harry's Cameo
Prince Harry also made a brief appearance over FaceTime. Meghan briefly panned the camera over the contestants' dishes before he said his goodbyes.
