A claim that the Duchess of Sussex’s team was “very frustrated” by how she was introduced in soon-to-air appearance on MasterChef Australia has been disputed. A source said to be close to Meghan Markle insisted she had a “great time”.
Meghan, 44, was a guest judge on an episode of the hit show set to be broadcast on Sunday evening Down Under, alongside regular hosts Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin, and Jean-Christophe Novelli. It was filmed during Meghan and husband Prince Harry’s trip to Australia in April. A promotional clip for the show included an introduction delivered by Ms Yeow, saying: “We’ve had MasterChef royalty in the kitchen before, but nothing like this.
“All the way from sunny California, please welcome to MasterChef Australia…the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle!”
But Australian media outlet news.com.au quoted a source who claimed Meghan and her team only heard the wording in the promo when it was put out to the public and were not best pleased.
The source claimed they were “very frustrated,” and the team had “specifically” made clear they wanted the word “royal” not to be used, unaware that it had been said at the time.
Meghan and Harry are royals, but there is sensitivity surrounding the use of the description following their decision to step back as senior royals in 2020.
This is especially the case during the couple’s high profile international trips to promote their various charitable endeavours, which detractors criticise as “faux royal tours”.
Their team reject the characterisation.
But another unnamed source, reportedly close to Meghan, insisted she and the MasterChef judges had a great time, seemingly dismissing any suggestion of friction behind the scenes.
“They immediately had such a great rapport and had a really fun time working with the contestants and crew as well,” they told PEOPLE.
They added that the Duchess had had “such a positive experience” and any reporting suggesting otherwise was not true.
A spokesperson from Network 10, the broadcaster that airs the show, issued a statement echoing the sentiment, telling the outlet: “The MasterChef judges and Meghan had a wonderful time filming together. Any suggestion to the contrary is completely false.”
EndemolShine Australia, the production company behind MasterChef Australia, has been approached for comment.