Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, to co-host Junior MasterChef Australia: ‘It was an easy yes’

After Meghan appeared on MasterChef Australia this year, co-host Poh Ling Yeow says being reunited with the Duchess on the children’s version ‘will be a real treat’

The Duchess of Sussex is set to co-host Junior MasterChef Australia, the children’s version of the popular televised cooking competition, in 2027.

Meghan made her debut appearance on the adult version of MasterChef Australia in July this year, which was filmed during a four-day visit to Australia with Prince Harry in April. Network 10 said the Duchess’s appearance on the show drew its “largest Sunday audience since 2023”.

Now the broadcaster has confirmed Meghan will co-host Junior MasterChef Australia, the children’s version of the show with contestants aged between nine and 13.

No date has been set for production, which will take place at Melbourne Showgrounds.

“I had an incredible time with the whole team at MasterChef this past April, so when they approached me to come back and work with this young group of talent, it was an easy yes,” the Duchess of Sussex said in a statement.

“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. I can’t wait to see what they cook up!”

It is unknown whether it means a temporary relocation to Australia for Meghan, Prince Harry and their children Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five. The family relocated to the UK in August, after living in California for six years.

Meghan will host Junior MasterChef Australia with current MasterChef Australia judge Poh Ling Yeow, who will continue to judge the adult show in 2027 as well.

“I had a lovely time filming with Meghan earlier this year, and being reunited will be a real treat,” Yeow said in a statement. “I can’t wait to meet our pint-sized culinary adventurers.”

The news of Meghan’s next television appearance comes in the same week the Duchess of Sussex revealed she had been made aware that her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr, had been accused of possessing child sexual abuse images.

Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, reported to authorities in the Philippines last week alleging that he had discovered a stash of child sexual abuse images at his father’s former home there.

Markle Sr has denied possessing child sexual abuse images, calling the accusations “sick” and “a bunch of lies”. He claimed the computers had not been in his possession since he left Mexico with his son in 2025.

The allegations against Markle Sr are currently being investigated by a human trafficking and child sexual exploitation taskforce in Cebu, authorities have confirmed.

On Sunday, Meghan revealed in a statement through her spokesperson that the Met had made her aware of “disturbing allegations” against him in 2019.

“I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed,” she said.

The Sussexes are reported to have settled in the Cotswolds after leaving the US. In September, they condemned the “reckless intrusion” of two photographers who were spotted outside Archie and Lilibet’s school. Their children have since moved schools.

The Duchess of Sussex’s lifestyle show With Love, Meghan ran for two seasons on Netflix. It has been widely reported that the show won’t return for a third season despite Netflix reporting it was viewed 5.3m times globally in the first half of 2025.