The Duke of Sussex surprised his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, with a video call during her appearance as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia.

During the episode, Prince Harry called Meghan to check in, with producers handing her the phone. She greeted him by saying “hi, my love,” and afterwards called him “a charmer”.

Contestants were set the task of transforming a staple ingredient into a dish “fit for a duchess”, although the duchess herself urged her fellow judges to “call me Meghan”.

Critics were split on the episode, with The Sunday Times calling it “one big gush-fest” while Hello Magazine posted she “made MasterChef Australia her own”.

Meghan filmed the episode in Melbourne in April, during a four-day tour of Australia with Prince Harry.

The couple, no longer working royals, visited in a private capacity. Their trip combined visits to charitable causes alongside money-making events.

Early on in the episode, Meghan was asked what her favourite dish is to make at home.

She said it was “a tough one because I have a lot of palettes to appease”, with her British-born husband favouring “meat, potatoes and cream sauce” while she preferred favoured grilled fish.

Their two children, Archie and Lilibet, often help with meal preparation and are “great eaters”, she said.

“We’re really lucky on that front,” she added.

She then urged the chefs to cook something they felt connected to. “What’s the story behind it?” she asked them.

When Prince Harry dialled in later on during the episode, Meghan told them: “My husband’s here,” prompting cheers and shocked faces from contestants and spectators.

“I wish you could try these, these dishes are fantastic,” she told him, before showing him the food. He signed off by telling her to go and enjoy, adding: “Very sorry to disturb you.”

The duchess’s appearance on the latest season of the show was well received by Hello Magazine, external, which shared a video of the episode online and complimented Meghan for the way she interacted with the chefs.

“The Duchess of Sussex gave personal time calls to all the contestants, proving that she’s always so effortlessly elegant,” it wrote.

Writing in The Sunday Times, external, Charlotte Ivers was less impressed, saying her appearance on the show “told us nothing about what she likes or who even will leave the competition”.

Social media users were also split, with one viewer writing that Meghan was “warm, gracious and a delight to watch” while another called Prince Harry’s cameo appearance “cringe”.

Meghan’s appearance on MasterChef Australia comes after her own lifestyle and cookery show, With Love, Meghan, which sees her share cooking and hosting tips with friends and guests.

Her show has secured a nomination at the Daytime Emmy Awards, in the Outstanding Lifestyle Program category.

Earlier this month, Prince Harry and Meghan, along with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, visited the UK.

Meghan did not make any public appearances, amid a row over security, but the duke and duchess and their two children held a private meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House.

On Thursday, the duchess posted a collection of photos on Instagram capturing the Sussex family’s summer holiday so far, including several shots of Archie and Lilibet.