Meghan films MasterChef Australia cameo as Sussexes begin Australia tour

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, filmed a guest appearance in the MasterChef Australia kitchen in Melbourne as she and Prince Harry opened their first Australia trip since 2018 with a stop at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

The closed-set shoot took place at the show’s Ascot Vale location, where Meghan joined judges Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli. As she walked into the kitchen, she said, “I’m so happy to be here.” The appearance was kept under wraps while the Sussexes were in Melbourne on the first day of their four-day visit, which will also take them to Canberra and Sydney.

The timing gives Meghan another high-profile platform in mainstream lifestyle television, following her Netflix series With Love, Meghan. MasterChef Australia’s upcoming 18th season, which premieres on Sunday, April 19, 2026, at 7pm on 10 and 10 Streaming, will feature 24 amateur cooks and a guest roster built around familiar names in food and entertainment, including Maggie Beer, Curtis Stone, Rick Stein, Adriano Zumbo, Justine Schofield, Robert Irwin, Jimmy Barnes and Jane Barnes.

The MasterChef cameo sits alongside a tour designed to mix charity work with more commercial and private engagements. Harry and Meghan spent about 10 minutes meeting families and young patients at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, where the visit set the tone for the trip’s public-facing schedule. One patient described the encounter as a surreal morning, while another said Meghan encouraged them to keep being brave.

Poh Ling Yeow’s presence also gave the appearance extra television weight. She became an audience favourite after bursting onto screens in the first series of MasterChef Australia in 2009, and her return to the kitchen alongside Meghan ties the Sussexes’ visit to one of the country’s most recognizable entertainment brands.

For Meghan, the role adds another layer to a public image that has increasingly leaned on lifestyle, food and polished television production. For Australia, it places the Sussexes back into a familiar soft-power frame: a royal visit built not only on ceremonial stops, but on celebrity, consumer appeal and carefully staged access.