Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex will be publishing her first children’s book, ‘The Bench.’ Her picture book debut will be published on 8th June and is inspired by her husband, Prince Harry and their nearly-two-year-old son, Archie.
In a statement, Meghan said that The Bench explores the “special bond between father and son as seen through a mother’s eyes.” The story is illustrated by the award-winning illustrator Christian Robinson and will be published by Penguin Random House. The duchess will also be narrating the audiobook version.
Meghan shared that the idea started as a poem she penned for Harry to celebrate his first Father’s Day just one month after Archie was born. “Christian layered in beautiful and ethereal watercolour illustrations that capture the warmth, joy and comfort of the relationship between fathers and sons from all walks of life; this representation was particularly important to me, and Christian and I worked closely to depict this special bond through an inclusive lens.
“My hope is that The Bench resonates with every family, no matter the makeup, as much as it does with mine,” she shared.
As reported by the Guardian, teaser images of the picture book were revealed ahead of its release. One depicts a boy being lifted by his father in military uniform as a woman looks from the window. “Looking out at My Love and our beautiful boy. And here in the window, I’ll have tears of joy,” the words read.
Another features a father and son dozing off outdoors accompanied by the words, “From here you will rest, see the growth of our boy.”
The news comes as tomorrow the Duke and Duchess’ son, Archie will be celebrating his second birthday just weeks before he becomes a big brother. According to reports, he’s set to reunite with his great-grandmother, the Queen, via Zoom. Prince Harry had previously spoken about how his grandmother enjoying Zooming with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
“Both my grandparents Zoom,” he said. However, his grandfather Prince Philip, who passed away aged 99 earlier last month, wasn’t as smooth with the tech. “We’ve Zoomed them a few times, they’ve seen Archie running around. My grandfather, instead of, like, pressing ‘leave meeting,’ he just goes doof,” Harry said laughing, motioning someone slamming a laptop shut.