Meghan Markle made clear she did not want to be addressed by her royal title as she made her debut as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia on Sunday night.

The 44-year-old filmed the appearance during her trip to Australia three months ago, stepping in for judge Andy Allen while he was on paternity leave.

Introducing the surprise guest, host Poh Ling Yeow told the contestants she was so excited she was trying not to swear.

When Meghan walked into the kitchen to the visible shock of the amateur cooks, a nervous Poh greeted her with a hug and asked: ‘Welcome. Do I call you Duchess?’

‘Oh, call me Meghan. Absolutely, yeah,’ came the reply.

According to the Daily Mail, her preference for her first name follows reported sensitivities about the way her royal links have been framed.

The publication says she was ‘frustrated’ when a promo for the show described her as ‘royalty’, with a source claiming her team had specifically asked that the word ‘royal’ not be used, even though the description is technically accurate through her marriage to Prince Harry.

On the show itself, Meghan spoke warmly about Australia, describing the trip as a ‘full circle’ moment. She and Harry had announced they were expecting their first child, Prince Archie, while visiting the country almost eight years ago.

‘We love Australia. We had the most sentimental, amazing time,’ she said. ‘We announced we were pregnant with Archie at the time. So it’s full circle, here we are, but thrilled to be here with all of you and taste some really good food.’

Contestants were challenged to create a ‘dish fit for a Duchess’ using ingredients she had chosen herself, among them honey, macadamia nuts, citrus, edible flowers and celeriac.

As she revealed the spread, she told the cooks that her own children eat Brussels sprouts, prompting an impressed response from Poh.

The former actress, whose Netflix series ‘With Love, Meghan’ was recently nominated for a Daytime Emmy, also offered some reassurance to the nervous contestants.

‘I don’t like to cook that way, I like to cook in a really relaxed fashion,’ she said. ‘All I can say to the competitors was to just remember to have fun, to keep a sense of humour about it, and to cook from the heart.’

She said cooking was how she showed love for those closest to her, in a nod to Archie and Princess Lilibet.

‘Food and cooking are how I show my nurturing and love for my friends, family and my kids,’ she said, encouraging the contestants to bring something personal to their dishes.

‘What is something from your family or from a memory, something sentimental that we can also taste as we taste your dish?’

Meghan said her decision to take part came down to two things.

‘My love of food and my love of Australia. It was an easy yes,’ she said in a press release announcing the broadcast. ‘I’m just really honoured that I was asked to be here.’