Meghan Markle stepped into the MasterChef Australia kitchen as a mystery guest judge on Sunday evening, filling in for regular judge Andy Allen while he was on paternity leave. It was her first appearance on the show. The episode aired at 7pm Australian time, 10am in the UK (Hello!).

When host Poh Ling Yeow greeted her with a title, Meghan had a quick correction. She asked to be called simply "Meghan" rather than "Duchess" — a small on-screen moment that immediately caught attention. A source told the Daily Mail that her team had "specifically" requested any mention of her royal connection be omitted from the broadcast altogether (Hello!).

The title she set aside is the one she has elsewhere insisted on. In August 2025, Meghan told People magazine that her legal name is "Meghan, Duchess of Sussex" (People). Three months later, a house manager at a New York City interview introduced her as "Meghan, Duchess of Sussex," and she did not correct it (People). In a separate context, she has used the HRH styling on a card sent with a personal gift; sources close to her told the BBC it was not for public use and denied any rule-breaking (BBC).

Her surname preferences have shifted in other settings too. In March 2025, Drew Barrymore called her "Meghan Sussex" during a preview of her appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show (People). Meghan later told People that the Sussex surname is "part of our love story" (InStyle). She has also corrected Mindy Kaling on-air when Kaling called her "Meghan Markle" rather than using the Sussex name (People).

Back in the MasterChef kitchen, the challenge she set contestants was built around her own tastes. She asked them to create a dish "fit for a Duchess" using honey, macadamia nuts, citrus, edible flowers, and celeriac. She described food and cooking as her "love language" and mentioned that both of her children enjoy Brussels sprouts (Hello!).

Cooking has been central to Meghan's public ventures over the past year. She rebranded her lifestyle and home range as "As Ever" in February 2025 (BBC), and her eight-part Netflix series "With Love, Meghan" was announced in January 2025 (BBC). The MasterChef appearance fits alongside those projects — though the request to drop the ducal title on air sits in tension with her stated position that "Meghan, Duchess of Sussex" is her legal name.

For viewers, the appeal was straightforward: a familiar face in an unfamiliar setting, tasting food and talking about it with genuine enthusiasm. The title question may have been the headline, but the cooking challenge was the substance.