Picture the scene. You have bravely battled onto the set of MasterChef Australia, hoping that your strawberry pavlova or similar hero dish is going to be the one that sends the judges into gasps of culinary ecstasy. Then the producers and host smile conspiratorially at you and reveal that the stakes (as opposed to steaks) have been raised. There will be a guest judge, they tell you, a figure who is ‘a global icon, a philanthropist, a humanitarian, a woman known around the world for her heart, her voice and her deep love for home cooking’. You draw a deep breath. Who on earth is this multi-faceted hyphenate, you wonder, an all-in-one combination of saint, queen and legend?
Well, the answer soon comes, and it is none other than the Duchess of Sussex, diversifying from her less-busy-than-it-was schedule to make a much-hyped guest appearance on MasterChef Australia as the star attraction for the latest episode. During her turn, she not only trots out her usual catchphrase – ‘Call me Meghan’ – precision-designed to put awestruck celebrities at ease in her presence but also does her usual fawning and smirking routine.
The Sussexes are, alas, no longer the box office draw that they once were
