Meghan Markle MasterChef episode makes history as viewing figures released
Meghan Markle MasterChef episode makes history as viewing figures released
Dorothy Reddin Tue, July 28, 2026 at 8:26 AM UTC
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Meghan Markle | Source: YOUTUBE/10 NEWS
Meghan Markle's guest appearance on MasterChef Australia last Sunday pulled in 1.16 million viewers across the country, making it the programme's strongest Sunday episode in three years.
The Duchess of Sussex's turn in the kitchen also smashed the show's streaming records, with 118,000 people watching via on-demand platforms overnight, a 62 per cent jump compared with the equivalent episode last year.
Traditional television audiences were similarly boosted, rising 16 per cent year-on-year. The episode topped its timeslot among viewers aged 25 to 54, capturing a 29.3 per cent share.
When seven-day figures were tallied for the July 19 broadcast, total national viewership climbed further to 1.22 million.
The last time a Sunday edition of the cooking competition performed this strongly was July 2023.
The broader season has also delivered impressive numbers, with MasterChef Australia reaching 10.5 million viewers nationally, its largest total television audience since 2022.
Average figures across the series sit at 851,000, representing a 12 per cent increase on the previous year, while streaming viewership has hit a record high of 220,000, up 63 per cent year-on-year.
Meghan, 44, filmed her guest spot during a visit to Australia roughly three months before the episode aired.
Meghan MasterChef | Source: YOUTUBE/10 NEWS
She cited her passion for cooking and her affection for the country as the twin motivations behind her decision to take part.
"What attracted me to the MasterChef Australia kitchen? Two things: my love of food and my love of Australia. It was an easy yes," she said.
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Her Netflix cooking programme, With Love, Meghan, recently received a Daytime Emmy nomination.
On set, the duchess was quick to reject any formal address. When presenter Poh Ling Yeow asked: "Do I call you duchess?", she replied: "Oh, call me Meghan. Absolutely, yeah."
Meghan Markle | Source: MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA / CHANNEL 10
She had been filling in for regular judge Andy Allen, who was away on paternity leave.
Meghan described the trip as deeply personal, telling those gathered that she and Prince Harry had announced her pregnancy with Prince Archie during a visit to Australia nearly eight years earlier. "It's full circle, here we are," she said.
She urged contestants to stay relaxed and enjoy themselves. "All I can say to the competitors was to just remember to have fun, to keep a sense of humour about it, and to cook from the heart," she advised, adding that cooking is how she expresses love for her family and friends.
For the challenge, contestants were tasked with creating a "dish fit for a duchess" using seasonal ingredients Meghan had personally selected, including Australian honey, macadamia nuts, citrus, edible flowers and celeriac.
Brussels sprouts also featured among the offerings, with Meghan proudly declaring: "My kids eat Brussels sprouts." Judge Poh Ling Yeow responded: "That's impressive."
The duchess revealed that when Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, request dessert at home, the family rule is simple: "If you can pick it, you can have it," referring to fruit from their Montecito garden.
Prince Harry made a surprise appearance via FaceTime during the judging segment. Meghan described her husband as "a real meat and potatoes guy" who can nonetheless "handle a really good curry".
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
