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Meghan Markle named as surprise new MasterChef judge

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The Duchess of Sussex, who married Prince Harry in 2018, made headlines across the world after she and her husband stepped down from their royal duties in January 2020.

They have been working in different fields with documentaries, podcasts and books all released in the years following.

Now it has been revealed that Ms Markle will make a guest appearance on MasterChef Australia, bringing royal star power to the long‑running cooking show.

READ MORE: Michelin-star chef lands TV role after leaving pub in Cotswolds

Producers have confirmed she will join the line‑up as a guest judge during the programme’s eighteenth series.

A statement on MasterChef’s Instagram page said: “We’re welcoming someone SUPER special into the MasterChef Kitchen.

“Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, makes a special guest appearance this season as she returns to Australia for the first time since 2018.

“Joining a star-studded lineup of Guest Judges and culinary icons, Meghan helps guide some of the most impressive home cooks the competition has ever seen.

READ MORE: Dame Mary Berry admits she ‘nearly poisoned’ viewers with recipe

“This is the series of MasterChef you don’t want to miss.”

Cotswolds chef Rick Stein is also set to feature in the series, alongside the likes of Maggie Beer and Curtis Stone.

The 79-year-old cook was born in Churchill, Chipping Norton and spent his early years growing up on a farm in Oxfordshire.

Since leaving the county, his business empire has ballooned, with four having opened in Cornwall alone.

The new series will launch on 19 April on Network 10 and streaming service 10 Streaming in Australia.





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Jeremy Clarkson has to pay for his own Amazon Prime account

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The 52-year-old said that neither she nor her boyfriend receives a free subscription from Amazon, even though they front one of the streamer’s biggest British shows.

Ms Hogan made the admission in an interview with content creator Lucas Stewart on his YouTube channel.

Asked directly whether she was given a complimentary Amazon Prime or Prime Video account, the Irish former model and actor replied: “I share my son’s.

READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson and Christian Horner team up to raise over £1m

“We don’t get any goodies.”

She went on to explain that sharing subscriptions is simply how many younger viewers now choose to spend their money.

“Children nowadays are just like, ‘Yeah, I’ll just get this subscription,’ and that’s their way of spending money whereas we used to buy cigarettes and more alcohol,” she said.

“This is their spending money, so I share it with him.”

Clarkson’s Farm, which follows Mr Clarkson’s attempts to run his Diddly Squat farm in the Cotswolds, has been one of Prime Video’s breakout UK successes since it launched in 2021.

READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson’s girlfriend reveals his ‘true colours’ amid ‘misconceptions’

Ms Hogan has become a key part of the series, often seen running the Diddly Squat Farm Shop and appearing alongside Mr Clarkson and farmer Kaleb Cooper.

In the interview, she also reflected on how the attention from the show has changed her life, but the Independent report focuses on the unusual fact that one of Prime Video’s best‑known on‑screen personalities still relies on a family login.

Amazon Prime currently costs £8.99 a month in the UK, with membership including access to Prime Video, music, deliveries and other services.

The company has tightened its rules on account sharing in recent years, but Ms Hogan’s comments suggest that, inside the Clarkson household at least, the stars are still paying customers.





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Jeremy Clarkson and Christian Horner team up to raise £1m

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Mr Clarkson, who lives in Oxfordshire, hosted a fundraising auction for Sir Chris’s Tour de 4 charity at a clay pigeon shoot in Northamptonshire, organised by Mr Horner, who lives near the Oxfordshire border close to Banbury.

The event, held at the Marston Estate, raised £1 million in a single afternoon, with much of the final total coming from an extraordinary intervention by Mr Clarkson, as The Times reports.

Speaking on his Sporting Misadventures podcast, Sir Chris, 50, said: “Jeremy Clarkson did the auction at the Tour de 4 clay shoot that Christian Horner put on and we raised £1 million in an afternoon.

READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson’s girlfriend reveals his ‘true colours’ amid ‘misconceptions’

“We got to £850,000 with all the tickets and the tables and the auction, and they wanted to hit £1 million.”

At that point, Mr Clarkson turned to the guests who had flown in by helicopter and asked for £10,000 from each of them.

Sir Chris revealed: “Jeremy said, ‘Right, there are people here who have arrived in helicopters.

“‘Everyone here who has got a helicopter, I want ten grand.’ So he went around the room going, ‘Ten grand from you, ten grand from you,’ and he got £150,000 from people, and that’s what made it up to £1 million.

“It was astonishing. I don’t think anybody else would have got away with doing that, but he has that presence. It was a fantastic afternoon, really good fun.”

READ MORE: Brooklyn Beckham vows to ‘always protect’ his wife in new statement

Sir Chris, a six-time Olympic gold medallist, founded the Tour de 4 cycle challenge after being diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer.

He has since become a high-profile campaigner for better screening and awareness, using the event to “change the perception” of what it means to live with an advanced cancer diagnosis.

Mr Clarkson, known for Top Gear, The Grand Tour and Amazon’s Clarkson’s Farm, revealed earlier this year that he had undergone surgery for an aggressive form of prostate cancer after it was picked up in a routine medical.

He has since said he is in remission and urged men to get checked.

READ MORE: King Charles strips 10 people of honours in 2026 – check the list

Tour de 4 will return to Glasgow this September, starting and finishing at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

The inaugural ride attracted more than 5,000 participants and raised over £3 million for cancer charities, with this year’s event again supporting Macmillan Cancer Support, Breast Cancer Now, Cure Leukaemia, Prostate Cancer UK and Maggie’s.

Mr Hoy has said his diagnosis has changed the way he looks at each day. Speaking earlier this year, he reflected: “I never imagined that I’d be able to get to this point where I’m actually just living life and not just living life, but actually appreciating it more than ever.

“It’s just about appreciating the mundane fun of life, the mundane elements of life which can be wonderful.”





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‘Devoted’ husband and father killed in Cotswolds fire

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The blaze broke out on Monday (August 3) in fields behind houses in Chipping Campden, just across the Oxfordshire border in Gloucestershire.

74-year-old gardener and landscaper Francis Owens died at the scene after a large fire erupted in dry fields behind Berrington Road and Castle Gardens.

Emergency services received multiple 999 calls at 5.38pm reporting a fast‑moving blaze.

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service said 13 fire engines were deployed at the height of the incident.

READ MORE: Drone shots show new £24m luxury Cotswolds holiday resort opening in 2027

Deputy chief fire officer Nathaniel Hooton said: “We were called at 5.38pm on Monday 3 August following multiple reports from members of the public about a large fire in fields behind Berrington Road and Castle Gardens in Chipping Campden.

“As a service, we extend our sincere condolences to the family of the deceased and to the wider community.

“At the height of the incident, 13 fire engines were in attendance. This was a multi‑agency response.

“We worked extremely hard with colleagues from neighbouring fire services to bring the fire under control.”

Gloucestershire Constabulary confirmed that Mr Owens, from the local area, was declared dead at the scene.

READ MORE: 80s singing legend to headline music festival amid bid to save historic pub

A police spokesperson said: “Following a fire in Chipping Campden last night, a man in his 70s from the local area was sadly confirmed dead at the scene.

“His family and the coroner have been informed, and our thoughts remain with all those who knew him at this time.

“Police do not suspect any third party involvement in the death.2

Speaking to The Independent, Mr Owens’ son Patrick described his father as “the Renaissance man of Chipping Campden” and an “amazing father” who had been devoted to his wife Mandy for 50 years.

The cause of the fire has not yet been established, and Gloucestershire Police and the fire service say investigations are continuing.





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