‘It was an easy yes!’

Paramount Australia announced Meghan’s return to Australian TV on Tuesday, saying the programme will air next year on Network Ten.

She will host the programme alongside Australian chef and TV presenter Poh Ling Yeow.

She said in a statement: “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.

“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.”

The Duchess is set to be based Down Under for the duration of filming, which is likely to take place over weeks in early to mid-2027, Australian outlet News.com.au said.

Her husband, the Duke of Sussex, and their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, may even visit her, though no decision has been made yet, an insider said.

The 45-year-old appeared as a guest judge on the 18th season of MasterChef Australia, where contestants were challenged to transform a staple ingredient into a dish “fit for a Duchess”.

Paramount said her appearance drew the programme’s largest Sunday audience since 2023.

A statement from the company said: “With Poh’s culinary expertise and Meghan’s enthusiasm for cooking and nurturing young talent, Junior MasterChef Australia promises to serve up plenty of inspiration as the next generation of Australian cooks steps into the kitchen.”

Ms Yeow said in a statement: “I had a lovely time filming with Meghan earlier this year, and being reunited will be a real treat. I can’t wait to meet our pint-sized culinary adventurers.”

Sources suggested the Duchess had a “great time” while filming MasterChef Australia, despite reports that she had been left “frustrated”.

It had been suggested Meghan’s team briefed producers the word “royal” should not be used in promotional footage.

So, she was said to have been left “frustrated” when fellow judge Poh Ling Yeow had declared in the programme’s trailer: “We’ve had MasterChef royalty in the kitchen before but no one like this.”

However, sources speaking to American outlet People now contradict this, instead claiming Meghan and her fellow judges “had a great time on set together”.

One insider said: “They immediately had such a great rapport and had a really fun time working with the contestants and crew as well.

“Meghan left the set that day with such a positive experience.”

Harry and Meghan set up home back in England in August, six years after sparking the Megxit crisis and quitting the working monarchy for a new life in the US.

Earlier this month, a source told The Telegraph that Meghan is “reading a lot of scripts”, and will focus on her family, lifestyle brand and rebooting her acting career rather than pseudo-royal visits.

They added that if Meghan had time left, she would do “some charity work”, adding “she’s not a working royal” but a full-time mother and entrepreneur.

There had been speculation over Meghan’s next move, including reports the former Suits star was in talks for a role in Netflix’s The Gentlemen.