MasterChef Australia star Poh Ling Yeow has revealed what it was like working alongside Meghan Markle, when the Duchess of Sussex recently guest-starred on the Channel Ten reality TV series.

The celebrity chef, 52, was appearing on the KIIS FM breakfast show and told host Georgie Tunny that she was particularly impressed by Meghan’s down-to-earth nature.

‘There is so much public conjecture, but she was absolutely delightful. Nothing but praise for the time I spent with her,’ Poh began.

‘Very easy-going, good sense of humour, a consummate professional. I mean, she’s an actor, so she just slid right into that judging role seamlessly.’

Poh added she strongly admired Meghan for always maintaining her composure amid intense public scrutiny.

‘I really feel for her because she’s still a human. There’s an emotional human at the end of that, amid all this hatred people are spitting out. She was honestly so lovely,’ Poh said.  

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MasterChef Australia star Poh Ling Yeow has revealed what it was like working alongside Meghan Markle, when the Duchess of Sussex recently guest-starred on the show

It follows reports that the Duchess of Sussex was said to have pocketed up to $380,000 for her top-secret appearance on MasterChef Australia – but the truth is even more astounding.

The Daily Mail can reveal Meghan was not paid a cent, and didn’t even promote her As Ever food and lifestyle range, featuring flower sprinkles, fruit preserves and wine.

The 44-year-old quietly visited the set of the reality TV cooking series on Wednesday to film her show-stopping segment at Melbourne Showgrounds.

It is understood she was on set for the entire day of filming, with Network 10 later confirming she would be a guest judge in an episode of the new season.

Some TV industry analysts initially suggested she could have been paid up to US$250,000 (AU$380,000) to appear on the show.

Former TV executive Rob McKnight dismissed the six–figure fee, but revealed the Duchess could easily have demanded between $10,000 to $50,000.

‘I think it is a brilliant PR move by Network 10, which is probably worth the least amount of money of the major networks,’ he said, hailing the publicity coup.

‘It has shown Ten is the little engine that could.’

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The celebrity chef, 52, was appearing on the KIIS FM breakfast show and told host Georgie Tunny that she was particularly impressed by Meghan’s down-to-earth nature

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Poh added she strongly admired Meghan for always maintaining her composure

‘Having Meghan in the MasterChef kitchen with us was such a treat,’ MasterChef Australia judges Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli told the Daily Mail last week.

‘She was a complete delight and was right at home. Introducing her to the contestants was like the best kind of surprise party – jaws were on the floor!

‘The Duchess put us all at ease very quickly, learning about our home cooks through their food, and happily sharing her passion and knowledge for produce, cooking and entertaining with us all. We’d have her back in a heartbeat.’

Meghan and Prince Harry are in Australia on a whirlwind tour, mixing royal-style engagements with commercial enterprises, including paid speaking events.

Meghan is not the first royal to appear on MasterChef Australia, and has followed in the footsteps of her father-in-law King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla.

In 2018, during an official royal tour, the then-Prince Charles and Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall, appeared on an episode filmed in Darwin.

The royal couple drew criticism online for not being filmed eating the contestants’ bush tucker, which included wallaby tartare with green ants.