Almost eight years after their wedding, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have returned to Australian shores for a four-day private visit, marking their first trip to the country together since 2018. The tour, which blends philanthropic engagements with paid commercial events, has drawn widespread public and media attention across the nation.
On the second day of the tour, Duchess Meghan made a pre-taped guest appearance as a judge on the upcoming 18th season of Australia’s iconic cooking competition MasterChef Australia, filming the segment in Melbourne on Wednesday. According to broadcaster Network 10, the episode featuring Meghan is scheduled to premiere on April 19, aligning with the end of the couple’s visit. The appearance builds on Meghan’s existing lifestyle media project *With Love, Meghan*, a streaming series focused on cooking and hosting that has laid groundwork for her expanding personal brand.
Across the tour, the couple has balanced public charity visits with paid, ticketed engagements. On the opening day of the tour Tuesday, they greeted hundreds of well-wishers gathered in the foyer of Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital during a scheduled charitable visit. Later that day, Meghan stopped by a local women’s refuge, where she helped serve frittata to center residents. On Wednesday, while Meghan filmed her MasterChef segment, Prince Harry split his time between two Canberra engagements: he joined a local Australian Rules Football team for a casual training session to learn the sport, before paying his respects at the Australian War Memorial.
Moving forward, the pair has a full schedule of remaining stops across Melbourne and Sydney. On Thursday, they will carry out additional pre-planned engagements in Melbourne before traveling north to Sydney. Later this week, Prince Harry is set to deliver a keynote address at the InterEdge Psychosocial Safety Summit in Melbourne, where ticket prices range from roughly A$1,000 (approximately $713 USD) to A$2,400. All proceeds from ticket sales for the summit will be donated to Lifeline, an Australian national mental health charity. The BBC has confirmed it has reached out to event organizers to inquire whether Prince Harry will receive a speaking fee for his appearance.
In Sydney, Meghan will headline a private women’s-only weekend retreat, where attendees pay up to A$3,199 for access. A premium VIP package includes a spot at a group table for a photo opportunity with the Duchess. It remains unclear what compensation Meghan will receive for the event, which has not yet sold out; organizers are still advertising a small number of remaining rooms.
Industry analysts have noted the visit comes amid growing signs that Meghan is positioning her lifestyle brand As Ever, which gained significant visibility through the couple’s Netflix docuseries, for an expansion into the Australian market. A search of the Australian government’s intellectual property database shows the brand registered trademarks for 12 different product categories in the country last year, signaling long-term commercial plans for the region.
As non-working members of the British royal family, the couple is undertaking the entire visit in a private capacity, rather than as official representatives of the monarchy.