What happened between Meghan Markle and Poh Ling Yeow?
- By Maria Lopez -
- Jul 24, 2026
As Meghan Markle’s appearance on MasterChef Australia loomed, headlines were filled with reports of backstage drama. One report claimed an intro delivered by judge Poh Ling Yeow had caused an awkward moment between the Duchess of Sussex and one of the food show’s judges.
But sources close to the show and, yes, the Duchess – have exclusively set the record straight.
How the Drama (Maybe) Erupted: MasterChef Royalty Report It all started when Network 10 aired a preview clip of the upcoming Meghan’s MasterChef episode, which was filmed earlier in the year in Melbourne. In the teaser – Poh introduced Meghan, saying, “We’ve had MasterChef royalty in the kitchen before but we’ve never had anybody like this. All the way from sunny California, please welcome to MasterChef Australia the Duchess of Sussex… Meghan Markle!”
News spread rapidly, with tabloids claiming Markle’s team had asked the production team not to use “royalty”–related phrasing and in efforts to make Meghan more aligned with her post–royal family image.
Initial tabloids reported Meghan was clearly frustrated by the line that was ultimately used, and that Poh didn’t quite know how to deal with the alleged sudden royal protocol blunder. Checking in with the Insiders Production Insiders Dish On How Production Works: According to a source close to the show – Poh didn’t “come up with anything off the cuff.” the line spoken about Meghan came from the “shows writers” and appeared to be “scripted line” that was provided to the judge.
The Mood On Set?
A Royal-Success The team behind the appearance – including The Duchess Of Sussex – all had positive experiences producing it . Representatives for Meghan Markle told the following: [They] got along great and [Meghan] had no complaints . (via E Online ) “Meghan and the MasterChef judges had a great time on set together,” a spokesperson for the Duchess shared. “They immediately had such a great rapport and had a really fun time working with the contestants and crew as well.”
Poh herself set to rest all speculation about any alleged conflict between herself and Meghan. She was the following statement about working on the popular food competition: “She was absolutely delightful. Easygoing and, you know, obviously I can see her work ethic and I love it, she’s a consummate professional. There was just no drama, it was so fun, like everyone had such a good time and she fit right in with the format.”
And There You Have It … If Meghan & Poh did in reality have a disagreement this was likely smoothed over really quickly, seeing as Meghan spent a few weeks being flown all over the country (for other things while filming, more on THAT shortly) and worked on the production team several days!
Royal Family – Latest News and Updates
The Duchess Of Sussex guests on the new seasons premiere of MasterChef Australia – this coming Tuesday !