In the quiet business of television, a duchess who has spent the last several years reshaping her public life is stepping into a children's kitchen. Channel 10 has confirmed that the Duchess of Sussex will join Poh Ling Yeow as a special guest on the 2027 season of Junior MasterChef Australia, a small return to the cooking world she has long circled. The arrangement unfolds against a harder backdrop, as her father faces child sexual abuse allegations he calls lies, and the question of whether she will be paid for the role remains unanswered.
Meghan to Co-Host Junior MasterChef Australia Season Starting 2027
Meghan will join the 2027 series as a "special guest" alongside Poh Ling Yeow
Mark
So what has actually been confirmed here?
Mimi
Channel 10 says Meghan will join the 2027 Junior MasterChef Australia season as a special guest, alongside host Poh Ling Yeow.
Mark
Why does the earlier guest judge appearance matter?
Mimi
Paramount ANZ says it drew the show's biggest Sunday audience since 2023. That's the track record behind this booking.
Luke
Worth noting that's the broadcaster's own statement. It's a ratings claim from the people who benefit from it.
Mark
And the timing, with her father's allegations in the news?
Mimi
The BBC reports Thomas Markle is accused of child sexual abuse, which he denies, calling it lies. The BBC understands she cut contact with him last year.
Luke
Careful there. The announcement and the allegations are placed side by side, but nothing in the reporting says one influenced the other. The contact detail is also "understood," not confirmed on the record.
Mark
What about money?
Mimi
She's understood to have been unpaid for the earlier episode. Network 10 didn't answer whether she'll be paid for this.
Luke
So the fee is unknown. Don't treat the unpaid first appearance as a guide to the second.
Mark
And her wider career?
Mimi
Her Netflix show didn't perform well with audiences, and As Ever ended its Netflix partnership in March. Food keeps recurring in her work.
The Pulse
- Channel 10 has confirmed the Duchess of Sussex will co-host Junior MasterChef Australia in 2027, and the announcement lands at a moment of public scrutiny.
- The casting arrives as her father, Thomas Markle, faces child sexual abuse accusations that he flatly denies, calling them lies meant to destroy him.
- Network 10 has declined to say whether she is being paid, while it is understood she received no fee for an earlier MasterChef appearance.
- The show's last Sunday episode with her as guest judge drew its largest audience since 2023, suggesting the pairing is commercially attractive.
- The role sits within a wider reset as the couple move back to the UK, leaving the question of how the family controversy will unfold still open.
In the quiet business of television, a duchess who has spent the last several years reshaping her public life is stepping into a children's kitchen. Channel 10 has confirmed that the Duchess of Sussex will join Poh Ling Yeow as a special guest on the 2027 season of Junior MasterChef Australia, a small return to the cooking world she has long circled. The arrangement unfolds against a harder backdrop, as her father faces child sexual abuse allegations he calls lies, and the question of whether she will be paid for the role remains unanswered.
Australia's Channel 10 has confirmed that the Duchess of Sussex will appear as a special guest alongside host Poh Ling Yeow on the next season of Junior MasterChef Australia, due in 2027. The duchess said she "can't wait," and spoke warmly of cooking with her own children and of how much fun she expects watching young contestants at work will be. Her link to the franchise began last year, when she guest-judged the adult MasterChef Australia, an episode that drew the show's biggest Sunday audience since 2023.
The news comes at a difficult time. Meghan is under fresh scrutiny because her father, Thomas Markle, has been accused of child sexual abuse, which he denies. The BBC understands she cut contact with him last year after telling him she and the authorities knew he had abused young girls. Markle insists the accusations are lies designed to ruin his reputation.
The television work also belongs to a larger story about the couple's working lives. They left the UK and stepped back from royal duties in 2020, built media careers in California, and announced in August they were returning to Britain. Her food ventures have had a mixed record, with her Netflix cookery show failing to find an audience and her lifestyle brand ending its streaming partnership this year. Whether she is paid for the Junior MasterChef role, and how the scrutiny over her father unfolds, remain open questions.
Australia's Channel 10 has confirmed that the Duchess of Sussex will co-host the next season of Junior MasterChef Australia, which is due to air in 2027. Meghan will appear as a "special guest" alongside the show's host, Poh Ling Yeow.
The duchess said she "can't wait" to take part. Her connection to the franchise began last year, when she appeared as a guest judge on the adult version, MasterChef Australia. According to a statement from Paramount ANZ, that episode drew the show's largest Sunday audience since 2023.
In her own statement, Meghan said she loves cooking with her own kids, and that seeing what the young contestants create in the kitchen "is going to be a lot of fun."
The MasterChef debut was announced during the couple's four-day tour of Australia in April, the first Australian visit for her and Prince Harry covered in this report. It was revealed on the second day, a Wednesday on which Meghan had been notably absent from public-facing appearances. That evening it emerged she had been filming an episode. It is understood she was not paid for it. Network 10, which airs the series as part of Paramount ANZ, did not answer the BBC's question on whether she will be paid for the Junior MasterChef role.
The announcement arrives at a difficult moment. Meghan is facing increased scrutiny because her father, Thomas Markle, has been accused of child sexual abuse. He denies the allegations. The BBC understands Meghan broke contact with him last year, telling him that she and the authorities knew he had abused young girls. Markle has strongly rejected the accusations, calling them "lies" that are being used to destroy his reputation.
The television role also fits into a wider story about the Sussexes' working lives. In August, the couple announced they were moving back to the UK from California. They had left the UK and stepped back from royal duties in early 2020, settling in California that March. They then built media careers, including a high-profile interview with Oprah Winfrey and deals with Netflix and Spotify.
The results have been mixed where food is concerned. Meghan's Netflix lifestyle and cookery show, With Love, Meghan, ran for two series and a Christmas special but did not perform well with audiences. Her lifestyle brand, As Ever, which includes a food range, ended its partnership with the streaming platform in March. Last year her trademark was registered in more than a dozen product categories in Australia, among them cookware and table linen.
The Junior MasterChef season is set for 2027. Whether Meghan is paid for it, and how the scrutiny over her father plays out in the meantime, are the open questions.
Notable Quotes
I love cooking with my own kids, so seeing what these young stars create in the kitchen is going to be a lot of fun.— Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
Thomas Markle strongly rejects the child abuse accusations as lies being used to destroy his reputation.— Thomas Markle, as reported by the BBC
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