A production source from MasterChef Australia has shut down reports of tensions on the set of Meghan Markle’s guest judge episode, as rumours of behind-the-scenes “frustrations” continue to circulate.
In case you missed it, the Duchess of Sussex is set to feature as a guest judge on an upcoming episode of the cooking show, but her much-discussed appearance has been dogged by headlines and rumours ever since it was announced by Channel 10.
One such rumour erupted in April, when the network first announced Meghan’s MasterChef guest slot via a social media teaser. In that clip, judge Poh Ling Yeow welcomed Meghan to the MasterChef kitchen with an introduction that referred to her as “royalty”.
“We’ve had MasterChef royalty in the kitchen before, but nothing like this,” Poh said in the clip. “All the way from California, please welcome to MasterChef Australia, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle!”
Soon after the promo teaser was published, an anonymous source claimed to news.com.au that Meghan and her team were “very frustrated” over the use of the word “royalty”.
Why, you ask? Well, the Duchess has apparently tried to avoid fuelling debate over her royal status ever since she and Prince Harry revoked their Royal Highness titles and stepped back from royal duties in 2020.
The unnamed source claimed Meghan and her team “specifically” told MasterChef Australia not to refer to her as “royalty”, adding that the Duchess was unaware she’d been introduced as such because she wasn’t in earshot of Poh’s spiel.
“They were outside the doors when it was filmed, so didn’t know what had been said,” the insider claimed.
Production source refutes Meghan Markle MasterChef rumours
Despite those claims otherwise, a production source close to MasterChef Australia has now denied that any such “frustrations” took place, instead claiming that Poh’s introduction was scripted and cleared ahead of time by Meghan’s team.
“I know for a fact that the producers and the marketing team would have worked hard to make sure everything that was said on camera was aligned with what Meghan’s publicity team would have said,” a production source exclusively told Chattr.
“Obviously, it’s reality [TV], but there’s so much of it that’s scripted. Poh’s line about ‘never having royalty like this before’ was scripted, and she would have had to say that a few times as well. It’s not like she said it candidly,” they added.
The source went on to reiterate that despite rumours of Meghan objecting to her introduction, the reality is that everything was approved on both Meghan and MasterChef‘s end.
“If they had that line scripted and Meghan’s team didn’t agree with it, they would have told them to take it out. The scripted line would have been checked over. At the end of the day, that script would’ve been checked by Megan’s publicity team,” they claimed.
The source went on to refute the broader rumours of tensions and frustrations on the set, saying Meghan’s vibe, and that of the entire MasterChef team, was quite the opposite.
“Everyone was genuinely starstruck and excited that she was there; no matter their stance on the monarchy — she was a big deal.”
Meghan Markle slams MasterChef Australia reports
The production source’s claims add to a recent statement by an insider close to Meghan, who similarly told PEOPLE — a very reputable outlet for celebrity reporting — that the reports are “false”.
“Meghan and the MasterChef judges had a great time on set together,” the insider said. “They immediately had such a great rapport and had a really fun time working with the contestants and crew as well.”
Far from what the rumour mill has been spinning, the insider went on to stress that Meghan “left the set that day with such a positive experience,” adding in a final message that “any reporting otherwise is false.”
Those comments were also corroborated by the MasterChef production source, who likewise denied any tensions and told Chattr that Meghan “was friendly and she was professional on TV.”
Poh Ling Yeow apparently ‘upset’ over her Meghan Markle MasterChef mix-up
Though we’ve since learned that no mix-up took place during Meghan’s MasterChef episode, New Idea recently published insiders’ claims that Poh was upset by the supposed gaffe.
“It wasn’t about Meghan personally,” the insider told New Idea. “Poh felt she had been unintentionally drawn into a royal protocol issue she never intended to be part of.”
Poh was apparently “willing to reach out immediately” to Meghan’s team to apologise for the moment, but “was advised to leave it for production to handle,” according to New Idea.
All the rumours led to the MasterChef production source’s most recent denial Chattr, which might be the last word we hear until Meghan’s episode airs later this week.
Meghan filmed the guest judge appearance in MasterChef Australia’s Melbourne kitchen in April, during her and Prince Harry’s broader Australian visit, which also included philanthropic pit stops in Sydney and Canberra.
We’ll have to wait and see how it all unfolds in the final edit, with Meghan’s MasterChef Australia episode hitting screens this Sunday on Channel 10.
But based on the production source’s claims, I imagine there won’t be the fireworks that the rumour mill was anticipating.
MasterChef Australia airs Sunday 7pm and Monday and Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.
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