Meghan Markle appeared as a guest judge on the 18th season of MasterChef Australia on Sunday, where contestants were challenged to transform a larder ingredient into a dish “fit for a duchess”.
The couple spoke during the show’s judging portion, when Harry called to check in. “Hi, my love,” she said after producers handed her the 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.
Filmed during Australian trip
The episode was filmed during Meghan and Harry’s week-long trip to Australia in April, when the couple carried out charitable and commercial engagements across Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.
Asked about cooking for her family, Meghan said she had “a lot of palates to appease”, and that her children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet “are great eaters” who enjoy Brussels sprouts. “The kids jump in a lot, especially in the garden,” she said, describing how the family often prepares food together.
She said her husband’s British upbringing meant he preferred “meat, potatoes and cream sauce” while the Californian-born duchess favoured grilled meats, fish and citrus.
Charitable engagements and no fee
A previous announcement from the Sussexes described the new season as featuring some of the “most impressive amateur cooks the competition has ever seen”.
The duke and duchess’s Australian visit included meetings with mental health charities, Invictus veterans and survivors and emergency service personnel from the Bondi Beach terror attack.
“We love Australia. We had the most sentimental, amazing time. We were here almost eight years ago,” the duchess said of her visit. “We announced we were pregnant with Archie at the time. It’s full circle.”
Previous seasons of the Australian show have aired in the UK on Channel 4, with British guest judges including Gordon Ramsay, Nigella Lawson, Heston Blumenthal and Jamie Oliver.
The Press Association understands Meghan was not paid for her appearance on the cooking programme.
