Meghan Markle is reportedly set to return to Australia after securing a starring role in one of the country’s best-known television franchises.
The 45-year-old Duchess of Sussex is expected to spend several weeks in Melbourne next year after reportedly agreeing to host the upcoming season of Junior MasterChef Australia.
The children’s cooking competition is believed to be making its return to Channel Ten six years after its last broadcast. Meghan is reportedly being lined up to appear alongside MasterChef Australia judge Poh Ling Yeow.
A source close to the production said the Duchess would take on a central presenting role in the revived series. Filming is expected to take place in Melbourne over several weeks between early and mid-2027, according to news.com.au.
The reported television role could mean Meghan temporarily moves to Victoria while production is under way.
Prince Harry and the couple’s children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, could also travel to Australia during filming, although no firm arrangements have been confirmed.
Our News Outlet has approached the Sussexes for comment.
Meghan Markle is reportedly returning to Australia after landing a starring role in one of the country’s most popular television franchises
The Sussexes recently moved back to the UK after spending several years abroad and are believed to have embraced a more international way of life.
Earlier reports indicated that the couple wanted to remain flexible about where they spend longer periods, with Australia understood to be one of the locations they were considering.
‘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.’
Our News Outlet has also contacted representatives for the Sussexes for comment.
The reported casting comes only months after Meghan made a surprise appearance on MasterChef Australia earlier this year.
In April, the Duchess visited Melbourne Showgrounds quietly to film a guest appearance on the flagship cooking programme while in Australia with Prince Harry.
The 45-year-old Duchess of Sussex is expected to spend weeks in Melbourne next year after reportedly signing on to host the new season of Junior MasterChef Australia. Meghan is tipped to appear alongside MasterChef Australia judge Poh Ling Yeow (left)
Prince Harry and their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, could reportedly join Meghan during production, although no firm plans have been confirmed
ALSO READ: Hikers Rescued From 8,600-Foot Sierra Buttes Summit
When the episode aired, viewers who said they knew little about Meghan admitted they had been pleasantly surprised by her warmth and considered feedback.
On social media, users described the former Suits actress as “graceful”, “down to earth” and “genuinely nice”, while some called her one of the programme’s most impressive celebrity guests.
The news also comes as Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle Sr, 82, is facing an investigation by authorities in the Philippines after child abuse material was allegedly discovered at a property linked to him.
Philippine authorities have reportedly been contacted by the FBI regarding the matter.
The ‘sickening’ collection is said to include videos involving young children, according to claims made by Thomas Markle Jr.
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.
The children’s cooking competition is understood to be returning to Channel Ten in 2027, six years after it last aired
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.
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.’
