Meghan Markle is reportedly preparing for another stay in Australia, where she is said to be taking on a major role in one of the country’s best-known television franchises.
The 45-year-old Duchess of Sussex could spend several weeks in Melbourne next year after reportedly agreeing to host the next series of Junior MasterChef Australia.
The children’s cooking competition is expected to return to Channel Ten in 2027, six years after its last season aired. Meghan is reportedly being lined up to appear alongside MasterChef Australia judge Poh Ling Yeow.
According to news.com.au, a source close to the production said the Duchess would have a central presenting role on the rebooted series. Filming is expected to take place in Melbourne over several weeks between early and mid-2027.
The reported television commitment could mean Meghan temporarily bases herself in Victoria while production is under way.
Prince Harry and the couple’s children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, may also travel to Australia during filming, although their involvement has not been confirmed.
Meghan Markle is reportedly set to return to Australia for a headline role on one of the country’s most popular television franchises.
The Sussexes have recently moved back to the UK after spending several years abroad and are understood to be pursuing a more international way of life.
Earlier reports indicated that Harry and Meghan wanted to keep their options open when deciding where to spend longer stretches of time, with Australia reportedly among the locations being considered.
“It’ll be an extended period of time. It could be six months, it could be a year, it could be more. I don’t think even they know yet,” a source told The Sunday Times in August.
“They might suddenly go, ‘Why don’t we try Canada for a while?’ They love Canada. ‘Why don’t we try Australia?’”
“It’s one of the great things about having left the institution.”
The reported casting follows Meghan’s surprise appearance on MasterChef Australia just months ago.
In April, the Duchess made a low-key visit to Melbourne Showgrounds to record a guest appearance on the flagship cooking program while in Australia with Prince Harry.
When the episode aired, viewers who said they knew little about Meghan praised her warm approach and considered feedback.
The Duchess, 45, visited Melbourne Showgrounds in April to film a guest appearance on the flagship cooking show during a trip to Australia with Prince Harry. She is pictured with Jean-Christophe Novelli, Poh Ling Yeow and Sofia Levin.
On social media, users called the former Suits actress “graceful,” “down to earth” and “genuinely nice,” while some said she ranked among the program’s most memorable celebrity guests.
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The reports come as Meghan’s father, 82-year-old Thomas Markle Sr, is reportedly under investigation by authorities in the Philippines after child abuse material was allegedly found at a property connected to him.
Philippine authorities have also reportedly been contacted by the FBI in connection with the case.
Thomas Markle Jr has claimed that the “sickening” material includes videos involving young children.
The Duchess of Sussex, who has been estranged from her father for years, said in a statement today that she was first made aware of accusations against him by the Met Police in 2018. She famously cut contact with her father in the same year.
Meghan said news of the find had left her ‘deeply distressed’ and stressed it was behind her decision to never allow her father to meet Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.
She added the decision, which came after a letter handed to her by the Met’s royal protection team, was made to ‘safeguard’ them.
Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Jr, made allegations last week that he had found a large stash of child sex abuse images on computers and phones in four large storage boxes ‘left behind’ by Thomas Sr when he moved back to the US from the Philippines earlier this year.
The children’s cooking competition is understood to be returning to Channel Ten in 2027, six years after it last aired
Meghan’s father returned to the US for health reasons and is currently receiving treatment in a rehabilitation centre after having his left leg amputated.
He has denied owning such material and claims the accusations were ‘sick lies’ made up by his son, who claims he found the material at his home in Cebu province, for money.
A statement from Meghan revealed she had first been made aware of ‘troubling and disturbing’ allegations in 2018 – but did not give any detail as to what these referred to.
‘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.
‘In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. That letter was subsequently shared with me. It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated.
‘I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason: to protect them.
‘I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families.
‘Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine, my sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children.’