Meghan Markle joins Junior MasterChef Australia: ‘It was an easy yes’

Pass the aprons. Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, is swapping Montecito for a mixing bowl Down Under. She will appear on Junior MasterChef Australia.

Before anyone starts imagining Meghan as the show’s new permanent fixture, the 45-year-old is not taking over hosting duties, despite earlier rumours. She is coming on board as a special guest, as confirmed by PEOPLE. The stint will be brief: She will be in Australia for only a few weeks. Prince Harry and their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, are not packing up for a permanent move.

An 'easy yes' for the Duchess

According to a press release from producers, Meghan will join host Poh Ling Yeow as the pair “help guide the next generation of young culinary talent.” That’s a polite way of saying they’ll keep an eye on a room full of kids wielding whisks.

Meghan sounded more than happy to be back. “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,” she said in the release. “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!”

Yeow is just as excited, both about the show’s return and about cooking alongside Meghan again. “I’m thrilled to bits that Junior MasterChef is returning to our screens,” she said. “People often ask me whether it might come back, so I know the news will be met with plenty of excitement.”

“I had a lovely time filming with Meghan earlier this year, and being reunited will be a real treat,” Yeow added. “I can’t wait to meet our pint-sized culinary adventurers - I’m expecting plenty of delicious surprises and a little mischief, too.”

Round two in the MasterChef kitchen

This won’t be Meghan’s first time on the set. In April, during a visit to Australia, she surprised contestants on MasterChef Australia as a guest judge. She mentored the cooks alongside Yeow, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli.

The surprise landed, judging by Yeow’s account. Speaking to 10 News, she described the contestants’ reaction: “The reaction from the contestants was exactly what we wanted. They were in total shock, everyone’s jaws were on the ground. In their wildest dreams, they would not have expected this, so it was very joyous for us to watch.”

A familiar face in food TV

The Duchess is no newcomer to the cooking-show circuit. Her kitchen and recipes took centre stage in her Netflix series With Love, Meghan. Long before that, in 2016, she judged young chefs on Food Network’s Chopped Junior. Mentoring young cooks on camera is clearly something she has done before.