Meghan Markle hit with double backlash ahead of 'MasterChef Australia'

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex is facing renewed criticism ahead of her guest appearance on MasterChef Australia.

The wife of Prince Harry filmed the episode during her recent visit to Australia with Prince Harry, and it is scheduled to air on July 26. In the episode, Meghan challenges contestants to create a dish "fit for a Duchess" using seasonal Australian ingredients while sharing personal stories connected to food.

Now, critics argue that Meghan's TV appearance comes at an awkward time, pointing to ongoing discussions about her use of her royal title after she and Harry stepped back from their roles in 2020.

"From a PR perspective, the timing really couldn't have been worse. Meghan is about to appear on one of the world's biggest cooking shows, asking contestants to create a dish worthy of a duchess, yet she's still attracting criticism from people who believe she shouldn't continue leaning on her royal title after stepping away from senior royal life," an insider told Radar Online.

Adding, "Add to that the viral jokes about her onion-chopping technique and supposed lack of kitchen know-how, and it's created the perfect storm. Her critics think the contrast is impossible to ignore, which is why they're already treating the episode as something of a punchline before it's even aired."

Furthermore, sources claim that there are people also defending Meghan Markle. "They'll argue she's legally entitled to use her Duchess of Sussex title and that mocking someone's cooking skills on social media is trivial. But her critics don't see it that way."

"They believe Meghan can't continue to build projects around the prestige that comes with being a duchess after walking away from the role of a senior working royal, and they think the recent viral parody of her chopping technique has made it much harder for audiences to take her seriously as an authority on food," they added.

The trailer of the special episode shows the Duchess of Sussex joining judges Poh Ling Yeow, Jean-Christophe Novelli and Sofia Levin as contestants take on the culinary challenge.