On Sunday, the MasterChef Australia episode with the Duchess of Sussex’s guest appearance will air. She filmed this back in April, coming in as a guest judge and selecting the ingredients for the challenge. This week, a local Australian news show previewed her episode too (I’m including the clip again at the end of the post). Alongside all of the buzz about the episode, the Australian tabloids have tried to cook up some exceptionally dumb gossip and scandal. “Sources” swear that Meghan stomped into the MasterChef studio, sent an email at 5 am and made everyone cry! I’m barely exaggerating. Well, People Magazine has an exclusive where Meghan’s team is like “there was no drama, Meghan loved appearing on the show!”
Reports of behind-the-scenes frustration surrounding Meghan Markle’s appearance on MasterChef Australia are being firmly disputed by a source close to the Duchess of Sussex.
The source tells PEOPLE that Meghan, 44, “had a great time” filming the episode alongside judges, including Poh Ling Yeow, and says suggestions otherwise are “false.”
“Meghan and the MasterChef judges had a great time on set together,” the close source tells PEOPLE. “They immediately had such a great rapport and had a really fun time working with the contestants and crew as well. Meghan left the set that day with such a positive experience.”
“Any reporting otherwise is false,” the source adds.
The comments come after reports that Meghan and her team were frustrated by the Duchess of Sussex’s on-air introduction in a promotional clip for MasterChef Australia, specifically the use of the word “royalty.”
The promo, filmed in April while Meghan was visiting Australia with Prince Harry, showed judge Poh Ling Yeow welcoming her to the kitchen. “We’ve had MasterChef royalty in the kitchen before, but nothing like this,” the MasterChef judge said. “All the way from sunny California, please welcome to MasterChef Australia…the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle!”
News.com.au, citing an unnamed source, reported that Meghan and her team were “very frustrated” by the introduction, alleging they had specifically requested that the word “royal” not be used. The source also claimed they were outside the studio when the introduction was filmed and didn’t hear it until the promo aired. Australian outlet New Idea separately quoted an unnamed source who claimed Yeow, 52, was upset by the controversy.
Here’s the thing about the lie that Meghan didn’t want anyone to mention “royalty” – the whole theme of the challenge was apparently “fit for a duchess.” All of that – the script, the challenge, the food selected by Meghan – would have been worked out ahead of time. It’s not like Meghan barged into the studio cold and demanded that no one say “royalty” around her. Please. There’s no drama here.
Screencaps courtesy of 10 News Sydney and MasterChef Australia. Additional photos courtesy of Cover Images and MasterChef’s Instagram.
