Meghan Markle‘s surprise turn as a MasterChef Australia guest judge already had contestants starstruck, and then her phone lit up mid-judging with the one caller who could upstage her.
The Duchess of Sussex, 44, appeared as a guest judge on the show’s July 26 episode, and the producers got exactly the chaos they hoped for. “The reaction from the contestants was exactly what we wanted. They were in total shock; everyone’s jaws were on the ground. In their wildest dreams, they would not have expected this, so it was very joyous for us to watch,” judge Poh Ling Yeow said, with fellow judge Sofia Levin adding: “I’m not sure they did keep their composure!” The show hyped the booking on its own account as part of “a star-studded lineup of Guest Judges and culinary icons.“
Then came the moment nobody scripted, and the one every recap led with. As the judges huddled over a contestant’s dish mid-episode, Meghan’s phone rang with a video call, and she lit up instantly. “Hi, my love! My husband’s here,” she beamed, turning the screen as Prince Harry, 41, grinned through the phone: “What’s going on? Have I interrupted something?” The camera panned across the judging panel as the entire kitchen waved back at the Duke of Sussex.
The cameo was filmed during the couple’s four-day trip to Australia in April, a mix of private, business, and philanthropic stops that marked their first time back since the 2018 royal tour they took as newlyweds, two years before stepping back from royal duties. Per ITV News, Meghan was not paid for the appearance. She slotted in alongside Jean-Christophe Novelli and the season’s judging panel, filling the seat while regular judge Andy Allen took paternity leave, as the amateur cooks chased a cookbook deal and a $250,000 AUD prize, and she even shared what Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet love to eat at home.
The appearance extends her steady march into lifestyle television: the second season of her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, arrives August 26.
Viewers Melt as the Kitchen Comes Unglued
Among viewers who actually watched the episode, the reaction ran unusually warm for a Sussex story, even as the usual anti-Sussex corners of the internet piled on from a distance. “The contestants on #MasterChefAU are SO excited with #Meghan being in the kitchen…the boys are all blushing…,” one viewer posted, while another laughed: “OMG… they are all frazzled lol #masterchefau.” A third even planted a flag: “Unpopular opinion!! I actually like Meghan’s style of judging!! It’s so refreshing and she’s not putting doubt into the contestants and she’s praising them #MasterChefAU I’d love to see someone like her be permanent.“
Between the blushing contestants, the waving judges, and a husband who cannot resist checking in on national television, the episode delivered the rarest thing in royal coverage: a moment everyone simply enjoyed.
