Meghan to co-host Junior MasterChef Australia
The Duchess of Sussex says she "can't wait" to take part in the programme, which will air next year.
Meghan to co-host Junior MasterChef Australia
The Duchess of Sussex has been confirmed as a co-host on the new season of Junior MasterChef Australia.
Meghan will appear in the 2027 series as a "special guest" alongside fellow host Poh Ling Yeow, according to Australia's Channel 10.
The duchess said she "can't wait" to take part in the programme after appearing as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia last year. According to a statement from Paramount ANZ, it drew the show's biggest Sunday audience since 2023.
The announcement comes as Meghan faces heightened scrutiny after her father Thomas Markle was accused of child sexual abuse. He denies the allegations.
The BBC understands Meghan cut off contact with her father last year, telling him that she and the authorities knew he had abused young girls.
Markle has firmly denied the accusations, calling them "lies" that are being used to ruin his reputation.
Meghan's return to Australia comes after a four-day visit to the country that she and Prince Harry made in April.
Meghan's MasterChef debut was revealed on the second day of the trip, a Wednesday when the duchess was notably missing from public appearances. That evening, it emerged that she had been filming an episode of the programme.
It is understood she was not paid for the appearance. Australia's Network 10, which broadcasts the series as part of Paramount ANZ, did not answer a BBC question about whether Meghan would be paid for co-hosting the Junior MasterChef season.
"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," Meghan said in a statement.
The couple left the UK and stepped back from royal duties in early 2020, before moving to California in March that year.
They then pursued media careers, including a high-profile interview with Oprah Winfrey and deals with Netflix and Spotify.
Meghan's Netflix lifestyle and cookery series, With Love, Meghan, ran for two series and a Christmas special, but did not do well with audiences.
She also launched the lifestyle brand As Ever, which includes a food range, but in March it ended its partnership with the streaming platform.
Last year, her trademark was registered in more than a dozen product categories in Australia, including cookware and table linen.