Meghan Sussex appeared as a guest judge on the 18th season of MasterChef Australia on Sunday. The episode was filmed in Melbourne during the couple’s Australian visit in April, while Prince Harry attended engagements with veterans in Canberra.
In the episode, Meghan was asked about her favourite dish to cook at home, although she answered by describing the different tastes she accommodates within her family. She said it was “a tough one because I have a lot of palates to appease,” noting that Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are “great eaters” who help with meal preparation. Her husband, Prince Harry, favours “meat, potatoes and cream sauce,” while she prefers grilled fish.
Later, Harry surprised her with a video call. Producers handed her the phone, and she greeted him with “hi, my love,” later calling him “a charmer.” Contestants and spectators cheered as she showed him the dishes and told him she wished he could try them.
What the Episode Actually Showed
What the episode actually showed was a woman who appeared prepared, articulate and comfortable in the role. Meghan spoke knowledgeably about food, offered clear feedback and treated the contestants warmly. She remembered their names, acknowledged the crew and made an effort to include everyone in the room. Several contestants appeared genuinely excited and nervous to cook for her.
Food and hosting are natural areas for Meghan. They have featured throughout her public work, from The Tig and her support for the Hubb Community Kitchen cookbook to With Love, Meghan and As Ever. Her guest-judging role did not feel random or forced. It suited her experience and interests.
The contrast between the person audiences saw and the caricature created by years of hostile coverage as always remains striking. People who encounter Meghan directly regularly describe her as warm, gracious and attentive. That image is difficult to reconcile with the cold, calculating character repeatedly promoted by anonymous royal sources and tabloid commentators.
Even her entrance became a manufactured controversy. Critics acted as though Meghan had demanded some extravagant arrival, when dramatic entrances through those doors are part of the programme’s presentation. Gordon Ramsay entered through the same space with even more theatrical flair. Meghan did not invent the format. She simply appeared the way celebrity guests regularly do.
The Double Standard in Action
The reaction to Meghan’s MasterChef Australia appearance exposed once again, the royal media’s double standard in real time. When Meghan told contestants to call her Meghan, some headlines framed it as though she were “shunning” the Duchess of Sussex title. Yet when Kate prefers her formal first name, “Catherine“, or William adopts a more informal style, it is praised as modern and approachable.
The rules change depending on who is involved. Meghan is criticised for using her title, then criticised again for not insisting on it. Certain outlets have already decided that whatever she does must be presented negatively.
Charlotte Ivers’ Sunday Times review followed the same pattern. Rather than judging the episode fairly, her review mocked the enthusiasm, production style and supportive atmosphere of MasterChef Australia as though Meghan had personally designed the format. The contestants’ excitement was treated as embarrassing simply because it challenged the press narrative that Meghan is unpopular and irrelevant.
Ivers also claimed the episode revealed little about Meghan, despite recounting her family’s food preferences, her garden, her parenting and her belief that food can nurture people. Apparently, personal details only matter when they can be turned into scandal.
Nobody forced The Sunday Times to devote a full review to this episode. Yet the paper still documented Meghan’s every word while arguing that the episode revealed little of substance. The hostility did not make Meghan look foolish. It only revealed how difficult some critics find it to cover her without turning ordinary television into another grievance.
William’s Reported “I’ll Pass” Response Exposes the Royal Media Double Standard
A Woman’s Day report published by Now to Love claims Prince William’s reaction to Meghan’s MasterChef Australia appearance was simply, “I’ll pass.” The report does not identify its sources or establish whether anyone close to William supplied the alleged response.
But, it’s worth noting Meghan’s appearance isn’t the first time the show has gone royal. Back in 2015, then-Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall Camilla paid a visit to the MasterChef kitchen during their own Australian tour, meeting judges and contestants before cameras. However, it turns out not all Royals were fans of Meghan’s appearance, with her estranged brother-in-law Prince William reportedly being less than impressed with her moment of Aussie TV fame. Not everyone was rushing to tune in for Meghan’s guest appearance on MasterChef.
According to sources who spoke to Woman’s Day, Prince William reportedly laughed when he was told about the episode and, when asked if he’d like to watch a snippet, simply replied, “I’ll pass.” “William was told about it and wasn’t surprised,” the source claimed. “He thought it was a bit of a desperate move and refused to watch even the smallest snippet.” Another insider added, “It seems William has no interest in keeping up with Meghan’s latest TV appearances. For him, it’s a case of “out of sight, out of mind.”
Woman’s Day
Woman’s Day incorrectly dated Charles and Camilla’s MasterChef Australia appearance to 2015; it took place during their 2018 tour. That mistake aside, the comparison still exposes the double standard. Their appearance passed without tabloid manufactured complaints, while Meghan’s guest role was recast as “desperate” despite its clear connection to her work in food and television.
The tabloid then shifted attention from the episode’s warm reception to William’s alleged disapproval. But if he is truly uninterested, why did an anonymous source feel the need to advertise his refusal to watch? The claim does not diminish Meghan. It only makes the future king sound unusually invested in dismissing her success.
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The Bigger Picture
This is precisely why the monarchy and the press surrounding it are losing credibility with younger audiences. People can see the contradiction. They notice when identical behaviour receives opposite headlines. They recognise that Meghan is criticised for qualities praised in Kate and William.
The media cannot endlessly insist that Meghan is irrelevant while producing story after story about her television appearances, clothing, introductions, entrances and choice of name. The obsession exposes the truth: she remains highly watchable, culturally relevant and capable of generating excitement without the palace machinery behind her.
The MasterChef Australia appearance was not a scandal. It was a successful guest appearance on a popular television programme. The only people determined to turn it into a crisis were those who had already decided that anything Meghan does must be treated as one.
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