Meghan Markle appeared on MasterChef Australia over the weekend, but some fans were left unimpressed. The Duchess of Sussex appeared as a guest judge on the 18th season of the cooking show on Sunday, when contestants were challenged to transform a staple ingredient into a dish “fit for a duchess”.

The episode was filmed during Meghan and Harry’s week-long trip to Australia in April. The couple carried out charitable and commercial engagements across Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. But a segment of the episode has enraged royal fans as Meghan appeared to break MasterChef tradition. The duchess wanted to “make it personal” and instead of announcing that contestants have 30 minutes left to complete their creations, she went up to each one of them to let them know.

But fans did not like the approach, with one user writing on X: “Ok this was the part that pissed me off! Meghan was meant to shout 30 MINUTES!! but instead insisted she would tell them personally.

“Firstly, that makes the contestants lose precious time & secondly it was about giving herself maximum airtime & exposure strutting about!”

Another one blasted: “You can’t help her she’s narcissist. It’s her oxygen!”

A third one said: “Maximum Meghan time was all it was about – she is the most self-absorbed person ever.”

A fourth one commented: “Absolute disgrace.”

A fifth one added: “That chick is so extra. Gross.”

Another one wrote: “She doesn’t like to follow rules or respect how other people do things, she has to do it “her way”.”

During Sunday’s episode, the duchess praised contestant Aaron Kher’s dish but joked it packed “too much” spice for Harry, who greeted the Australian group with a “G’Day”.

“He’s a charmer, isn’t he?” she said after the phone call ended.

Asked about cooking for her family, Meghan said she had “a lot of palates to appease” and that her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are “great eaters” who enjoy Brussels sprouts.

“The kids jump in a lot, especially with the garden,” she said, describing how the family often prepares food together.

Meghan added: “Family time, I think, is really key to connect through food, so as many meals as we can do together, we always do.”

She said her husband’s British upbringing meant he preferred “meat, potatoes and cream sauce” while the Californian-born duchess favoured grilled meats, fish and citrus.

SOURCEL EXPRESS