Meghan Markle Defended by Judge Poh Ling Yeow Over 'Ridiculous' 'MasterChef Australia' On-Set Rumors

Meghan Markle has been strongly defended over "ridiculous" rumors of behind-the-scenes tension during her appearance on MasterChef Australia, with judge Poh Ling Yeow insisting the cast had a "lovely time" with the duchess.

As OK! reported, the 45-year-old Duchess of Sussex recently returned to television as a guest judge on the Australian cooking competition, appearing alongside Yeow.

Reports subsequently claimed there had been an uncomfortable moment on set after Yeow referred to Meghan as "royalty," despite claims the duchess' team had asked for her royal connections not to be mentioned during filming.

A source familiar with the production said: "The suggestion that there was some enormous drama behind the scenes simply doesn't reflect what people experienced on the day. Meghan came in to film the episode, got involved with what was happening and interacted perfectly happily with the people around her. There wasn't this atmosphere of tension that has subsequently been portrayed. When you have somebody as famous as Meghan appearing on a show, virtually every interaction can suddenly become the subject of speculation, but those working on the program didn't see the kind of fallout that has been suggested. People have taken one alleged moment and built a much bigger narrative around it. From the production's perspective, the filming went well and Meghan's appearance was treated as an exciting addition to the episode."

The original claims suggested Meghan became "very frustrated" after Yeow described her as "royalty."

It was also reported Yeow had been upset by the alleged incident and wanted to apologize to the former working royal. Yeow has now publicly rejected the reports.

Speaking on a Perth radio program, the MasterChef Australia judge said everyone involved had a "lovely time" with Meghan during filming and described her experience of subsequently becoming the subject of reports about the duchess as an eye-opening one.

Asked about the claims, Yeow said: "It's ridiculous. It's the first time anything like that has happened to me. So it's been very eye-opening to me to see what Meghan cops every day, and it's really full on."

Meghan's appearance marked another high-profile television outing for the former Suits actress, who played Rachel Zane in the legal drama before marrying Prince Harry, 41, in 2018.

She stepped away from royal duties with Harry in 2020, and the couple subsequently relocated to California with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.

Since leaving frontline royal life, Meghan has returned to entertainment and lifestyle programming while developing projects through the couple's Archewell Productions company.

Her recent television work has included the Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan, which centered on cooking, entertaining, gardening and hosting guests.

The duchess and Harry have also executive produced Cookie Queens, a documentary following four young Girl Scouts competing to become leading cookie sellers.

Meghan recently appeared at a special screening of the documentary in Los Angeles, where she spoke about motherhood and the advice Harry has given her during difficult periods.

Her MasterChef Australia appearance placed her back in a competitive television format, with Yeow's intervention now directly challenging claims that the duchess' presence had created friction among those involved in filming.

Meghan built her showbiz career as an actress, becoming best known for playing Rachel Zane in legal drama Suits.

After leaving acting before marrying Prince Harry, she later returned to entertainment through documentaries and television projects, including Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan, alongside work as a producer.