MasterChef Australia fans actually quite enjoyed Meghan Markle: ‘Better than Katy Perry’

After a whole season of suspense, Meghan Markle finally made her MasterChef Australia debut and guess what? The world didn’t end. Swell!

Despite weeks of tabloid cynicism and a fabricated feud, Meghan Markle actually won plenty of viewers over as she stepped into her judging shoes.

Meghan made a surprise entrance into the MasterChef Australia kitchen after Poh Ling Yeow teased that they had welcomed “MasterChef royalty” before introducing “the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan.”

Meghan and Poh somehow found themselves in the centre of celebrity beef rumours over the past week, but based on Sunday’s episode, these two couldn’t have hit it off any more. Besties alert!

In the episode, Meghan filled in for Andy Allen to help judge a challenge requiring contestants to celebrate seasonal produce and create a dish “fit for a Duchess.”

She praised the cooks’ creativity and spoke about food as a way of bringing families together. Meghan also joked about Prince Harry’s spice tolerance while tasting Aaron Kher’s fiery dish, saying the sauce might be too hot for him. The Prince himself made a rogue appearance over FaceTime during judging.

It was quite the royal affair for this Australian reality TV show, so what did viewers think of the Duchess does MasterChef?

Unsurprisingly, over on X (a famous cynical site), some people were not so happy that Meghan was given a judging spot.

However, on Reddit viewers were pleasantly surprised by Meghan Markle. “I was never a fan but I found her charming,” said one convert.

“I’m American so take this for what it’s worth, but I thought MM [Meghan Markle] did a great job. Her comments were actually insightful and you could tell she has some knowledge,” added another, with comments agreeing with this take.

“I’m with you. I don’t follow her at all, probably couldn’t identify her from a photo, but she was way better than, say Katy Perry, who was a guest once,” replied a viewer. “Seemed like a genuinely nice person. Gave seemingly on-target feedback on their dishes, but also made them feel good.”

Other viewers were in agreement that Meghan’s calm demeanour was an improvement on another rogue American celebrity cameo: Katy Perry’s truly chaotic guest judge appearance. “Good episode,” wrote another. “MM was so much more refreshing than when Katy Perry was a guest.”

On MasterChef’s official Instagram, a lot of the comments about MM were overwhelmingly positive. “She is so graceful,” said one. “The people’s princess,” added another.  

Meghan Markle appeared in the MasterChef kitchen while visiting Australia with Prince Harry, joining judges Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli for a special challenge.

The highly anticipated MasterChef Australia appearance sparked plenty of heated online discussion, including speculation about whether Network 10 had paid a hefty fee to secure the Duchess of Sussex as a guest judge.

When Meghan’s cameo was announced in April 2026, reports suggested she could receive a six-figure payday. One salary estimate claimed she may have been offered approximately $380,000 for the one-off appearance, although Network 10 never verified the figure at the time.

The speculation was unsurprising considering Meghan’s global profile, television background and connections to the British royal family. However, reports of an enormous appearance fee were ultimately proved incorrect. Network 10 later shut down the rumours and confirmed that Meghan had not been paid a cent for participating in the episode.

MasterChef Australia airs Sunday 7pm and Monday and Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.