What Meghan Markle Was Really Like on MasterChef Australia

Meghan Markle MasterChef — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Meghan Markle made headlines with a surprise appearance as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia, showing off her pre-duchess television experience. “Passionate foodie Meghan Markle is joining MasterChef Australia as a guest judge,” the popular cooking show announced during Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s visit to Australia. In a video shared on TikTok, a MasterChef producer spilled on the gossip from the set, including what Meghan Markle was really like behind the scenes.

Alexandria Funnell, a former MasterChef Australia post-producer, reached out to a friend of hers who still produces the show asking for the gossip. “I was keen to hear the goss,” Funnell said. “She was so great!” one of the show’s current producers wrote in a text message to Funnell. “She was so nice to all the crew, had a good sense of humor, and was just a normal human.” Speaking about her team, the producer shared that Meghan Markle kept things low-key. “Her entourage was only 2 people and they were so great, too.”

Meghan Markle wearing a cream sweater pouring fruit in a drink talking in a kitchen with Mindy Kaling — Meghan Markle is said to be a passionate foodie who loves cooking in the kitchen.

The producer reported that “she was really good at judging too,” explaining that the Duchess of Sussex was “more concise than the regular judges” when giving responses. Other guests on the show can often “waffle,” meaning they speak for an extended time. These lengthier speaking portions are edited into bite-sized clips by editors and producers, an occasionally arduous task. “That’s the thing about the judges, as a post-producer, you have to cut them down a lot,” Funnell explained. “The waffle is waffling, they waffle like you would not believe.”

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“I actually feel like she would have been a bargain,” Funnell shared, commenting on a potential appearance fee. “I feel like she would have felt like she wanted to do it, and it would have been a publicity thing,” the former producer said. Meghan Markle reportedly appeared on the show for free, although that has not been confirmed by any official sources. “Apparently she was awesome,” Funnell said, before quipping “haters gonna hate.”

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Christine Ross is a freelancer writer, royal expert, broadcaster and podcaster. She's worked with news outlets including the BBC, Glamour, Talk TV, ET, PBS, CNN and 20/20 to cover the foremost royal events of the last decade, from Prince George’s birth to the coronation of King Charles III.

She previously served as co-host of Royally Us, a weekly royal podcast by Us Weekly. As a freelance writer and royal commentator she provides expert commentary, historical context and fashion analysis about royal families worldwide, with an emphasis on the British Royal Family.