The Duchess of Sussex allegedly had a “MasterChef meltdown” despite sources close to her saying there were “no issues”. Meghan Markle appeared as a guest judge on the 18th season of the cooking show on Sunday, when contestants were challenged to transform a staple ingredient into a dish “fit for a duchess”.
Filming and initial reports
The episode was filmed during Meghan and Harry’s week-long trip to Australia in April. Meghan appeared alongside MasterChef Australia judges Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli. Recent reports claimed the Duchess was involved in a tense moment with Ms Yeow after she was announced as “royalty” at the beginning of the episode.
Denials from Meghan’s camp
But sources close to the Duchess dismissed the claims and said they are “false,” telling the Daily Express that Meghan had an “incredible” time with all those involved, including the judges, contestants and crew. They stressed that there were “no issues”.
New claims from production insiders
Now, a new claim has been made by alleged insiders of the show, who claimed Meghan’s appearance left the cast and crew “exhausted”. Celebrity journalist Rob Shuter cited “multiple production sources” who described Meghan as “one of the most demanding celebrity guests the long-running series has ever hosted”.
He wrote on his Substack: “‘By the end of the day, everyone was just praying for the taping to be over,” one production insider tells Naughty But Nice’. “‘People are talking about the ‘royalty’ comment, but that was the least of the crew’s concerns.’”
The sources added that the Duchess came with an “extensive list” of requests and wanted “every aspect” of the production to revolve around her. One source said: “She carried herself like she was Julia Roberts arriving to shoot a blockbuster. This is MasterChef Australia. The team has worked with award winners, world-famous chefs, and global stars. They’ve never experienced anything quite like this.”
They went on to claim that after filming had wrapped up, there was an “audible sigh of relief”.
Positive comments from hosts
Despite that, the hosts of the show appeared to have positive things to say about the Duchess. Ms Yeow previously told Channel 10 about Meghan being a judge: “This was actually quite clear about wanting to get to know the contestants better. And she said, you know, you know these guys, but I don't, so I really would like to see some stories and, yeah, food that's gonna show us their personalities.”
Sofia Levin, another judge on the show, said: “She's a home cook and she's a gardener herself. So, when you think about it, you know, we're getting more and more connected to our food.”
