Meghan Markle sparked "security breach" fears during her recent appearance on MasterChef Australia. The Duchess of Sussex, 45, featured as a guest judge on an episode of the cooking show in July, when contestants were tasked with transforming a staple ingredient into a dish "fit for a duchess".
Unexpected FaceTime call
While the judges were tasting the dishes, a crew member walked onto the set and handed Meghan a phone. She then appeared to have an impromptu FaceTime call with her husband, Prince Harry, 41. Meghan greeted him by saying, "Hi, my love", before introducing him to the judges and contestants.
Many described the move as "staged" and "scripted", however, MasterChef Australia judge Sofia Levin insisted this was not the case from her perspective, believing it was "very real". "It was so real that usually they tell us what's going to happen in advance – they didn't tell us," she told News24.
Judge thought it was a security breach
The Australian food journalist added that the cast were caught so off-guard that they believed the fuss was caused by a "security breach". "The bit that probably didn't make it into that edit was Poh [Ling Yeow's] and my ... faces, because we thought there had been a security breach," she explained. "If someone sort of interrupts like that [that's what you assume].
She said that once they saw Harry's face on the phone, they realised what was happening, arguing once again that the call was not planned "from where I was standing".
Online debate over authenticity
The moment sparked a huge debate online, with celebrity chef Jameson Stocks questioning its authenticity. "Firstly, if you’re on an open set, people generally don’t have their phones readily to hand," he said in an interview with The News International.
"This was clearly staged and prearranged, much like her contrived television programme — there was no authenticity or genuine spontaneity, just something cold, calculated, and pathetic. Stuff like this I find extremely cringeworthy."
He added: "Meghan seems to clash with people who, from an outsider’s perspective, make her feel unimportant. Based on how people close to her treated me, I understand the methods used and the way others can be made to feel. If Meghan felt that strongly about the situation, the producers would have edited it out."
