Meghan Markle lands huge new role – and it could mean a major change for Archie and Lilibet

Meghan Markle is set to head Down Under for an exciting new role as a judge on Australia's Junior MasterChef, and her kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, may join her for the trip.

According to News.com.au, the Duchess of Sussex is set to become one of the judges of the show, which went off air in 2020 after three seasons. She will host alongside MasterChef judge Poh Ling Yeow, who placed second in the first season back in 2009.

The show will likely film for several weeks sometime in the first half of 2027, and production will take place in Melbourne. 

Although no decision has been made about whether Archie and Lilibet will travel with her on their first trip to Australia, the length of Meghan's expected absence from the UK makes it likely that they will accompany her.

Meghan Markle's MasterChef experience

Meghan appeared as a special guest on Australia's MasterChef in 2026, after secretly filming during her visit to Australia with her husband, Prince Harry, in April. Partway through filming the episode, Harry made a quick call to his wife, showcasing their sweet bond.

"Hi, my love! My husband's here," she said when Harry video called her on the show. "What's going on? Have I interrupted something important?" the prince joked.

See Meghan on MasterChef Australia below...

"Well, we are actually in the middle of tasting all the dishes. We have four incredible cooks here…It's amazing. They're so talented. We wish you were here," Meghan replied.

"I wish you could try this. These dishes are fantastic…It's really delicious, and there's a hot sauce that, well, you know me…it is so good! I think it might be too much for you, though. It's spicy." Harry then wrapped up the video call, saying: "Well, go and enjoy it. I'm very sorry to disturb you. All is well here. I'll see you later."

Behind-the-scenes of MasterChef

Poh, who filmed with Meghan as a MasterChef judge, later shared on Nathan, Nat and Shaun that the Duchess was the picture of warmth and professionalism on set. "We had such a lovely time with her, and she was a model citizen!" Poh said.

"Honestly, no fuss, hung out with us, didn't scurry away into her green room. She was engaged with the whole process and knows her food. Nothing to complain about at all."

The TV star added that she had begun to understand the media pressure that Meghan faced after reports emerged that the royal had a "meltdown" while filming.

"It's the first time anything like that's kind of happened to me, so it's been very eye-opening for me to see what she cops every day. It's really full-on," Poh said, adding that the claims were "ridiculous".

Moving Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to the UK

Meanwhile, Meghan and Harry moved their kids, Archie and Lilibet, from their home in Montecito, California, to the UK in August, where the children are now attending school outside of London.

The Duke of Sussex shared with GQ that the seven-year-old and the five-year-old are settling in nicely, and are "loving school".

"It's been nice to be close to friends, family, friends and friends and their children as well – to be able to have endless play dates to really help our kids settle in," he explained.

"To actually have my whole family there with me, the place that I grew up, wanting to be able to show my kids where I grew up and have them have the experiences to some extent that I had – the good rather than necessarily the bad – provided real, proper, serious thinking as to, 'This is an opportunity, let's do it now.'"