Why Meghan's surprising reality TV move is no masterclass

Opinion: When a promotional photo showing the Duchess of Sussex, alongside the judges of a popular cooking television show, emerged on Wednesday the first response so many had was: is this real?

But, alas, this was no prank or AI. It was a mis-step and arguably Meghan's most tone deaf move yet.

It was a poorly-timed move on Meghan's part on day two of her and Prince Harry's non-royal – but very royal looking – tour of Australia.

Watch the video above.

The duchess was absent from the official program of events on Wednesday, promoting many to speculate about what she was doing while Prince Harry was busy carrying out engagements in Melbourne and Canberra.

It was thought the duchess was holding private business meetings as she prepares to launch her lifestyle brand As ever Down Under.

We were partially right.

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As Prince Harry was laying a wreath at the Australian War Memorial, and paying tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, Meghan was filming a guest spot on MasterChef.

The optics were bad.

Now, don't get me wrong. Meghan and Prince Harry need to make money – six years ago when they walked away from the Windsors, they were clear that their motivation was financial (along with wanting privacy).

They have to earn a living way now that funding from King Charles and the taxpayer has gone.

But after seeing the duchess holding the hands of sick children, serving frittata to abuse survivors and mingling with veterans on Tuesday, many pointed out that she and Harry were what the royal family was missing.

That this Australian tour was proving to King Charles and his clan what amazing assets the Sussexes could have been.

In fact, what this Australian tour has now shown is that perhaps the late Queen Elizabeth II was right all along – there is absolutely no room for mixing duty with money.

Meghan is, by far, not the only lower-ranked royal with a side hustle. Sweden's Princess Madeleine recently launched a skin care line, but has done so under her private name without using her royal title.

Denmark's Count Nikolai is a popular influencer and model but has never once shown any disrespect to his uncle King Frederik X or his grandmother Queen Margrethe II, even after she downgraded his prince title to that of a count.

Meghan, on the other hand, has repeatedly spoken out against the royal family, complaining about how bad she and Prince Harry had it when they were in the UK.

In all of her interviews, podcasts, private speeches and award show appearances in the past six years, she is branded and promoted as the Duchess of Sussex, not Meghan Markle.

Remember her infamous, "I am Sussex now" quip on her Netflix show With Love, Meghan when guest Mindy Kaling dared to call her "Meghan Markle".

It's unknown if Meghan was paid or much she would have been paid for her guest turn as a MasterChef judge but the episode, which is set to air during the show's new season, will no doubt include a substantial plug for her As ever brand.

A press release for her appearance describes the duchess as "a passionate foodie with global influence" so it could be anyone's guess what happened during filming.

Perhaps the episode features a challenge for budding cooks on the many ways one can use flower sprinkles and jam?

Meghan's turn as a MasterChef judge fits in with her passion for cooking and all things lifestyle.

She ran the popular website The Tig where she shared food and travel photos, recipes and all-round life advice before the site was closed when she became engaged to Prince Harry.

With Love, Meghan – which had two seasons and a Christmas special on Netflix – was all about hosting and elevating the everyday.

While Meghan may not have been unable to control the poor timing of the MasterChef promo, which came out around the same time as Harry was in Canberra attending a Last Post ceremony, surely the duchess' team could have insisted network bosses wait until at least Friday once the solemn portion of the couple's quasi-royal tour was up.

And that leads to the long-running debate about whether Prince Harry and Meghan actually listen to their advisors, or if they have advisors at all?

There appears to be two very different tours happening at once: Harry, the prince, dipping back into his former life as a working royal and being his fun, compassionate and free-going self.

And Meghan, the money-making, self-promoting lifestyle influencer.

Tomorrow night, the duchess will headline a women's only retreat at Sydney's Coogee beach where VIP ticket holders have paid $3199 to have a group photo with her.

It is not clear where the proceeds of that event are going and how much the duchess is being paid for her appearance.

Meghan will speak about her career and life in a brief Q&A session at the gala dinner before re-joining Prince Harry at Allianz Stadium for the rugby.

Last night, as Prince Harry returned to Melbourne he and Meghan made a surprise appearance at the Nexus Summit, an event all about community-focused impact bringing together philanthropists, impact investors, and innovators.

The motto of Prince Harry and Meghan's Archewell Foundation, which was last year re-branded as Archwell Philanthropies, is 'Show Up, Do Good'.

Prince Harry, who is the keynote speaker at a mental health conference in Melbourne today, is doing that. Yes, he will be paid for his appearance at the InterEdge Summit but proceeds from the expensive tickets go to Lifeline.

Meghan appears intent on making her Australian visit purely a business trip, with a sprinkle of charity for good measure.

One can only imagine what King Charles and the Prince and Princess of Wales are thinking as the Sussex tour makes headlines across the world.

But it cannot be any more clear: Prince Harry and Meghan are doing things their own way even when husband and wife appear to have opposing methods and very different agendas.

With just two days left before they return to California, more surprises are almost guaranteed.

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