Meghan Markle opens up about new book 'The Bench', says son Archie loves it
Jun 21, 2021
Washington [US], June 21 : Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have a little bookworm on their hands! The 'Suits' alum opened up about her new children's book 'The Bench' and revealed that her son Archie is a big fan of the book.
As per People magazine, during her NPR Weekend Edition on Sunday, which coincided with Father's Day, the Duchess of Sussex shared that the couple's two-year-old son Archie is a big fan of 'The Bench'.
"Archie loves the book," Meghan said in the interview, which was recorded before she welcomed daughter, Lilibet Diana.
Meghan added, "He has a voracious appetite for books and constantly when we read him a book he goes 'Again, again.'"
"Now the fact that he loves The Bench and we can say, 'Mommy wrote this for you,' feels amazing," she added.
In addition to helping inspire the project, Meghan said she kept her son in mind while making sure every detail was perfect.
"Kids, they just pick up on everything and that was one of the pieces that I think was important for me," she explained.
The Duchess added, "I knew our son would notice all those elements. And he loves it."
Meghan, who previously shared the book was inspired by a poem she wrote for Harry on Father's Day, also revealed that the project was shaped by another sentimental gift she got her husband that year: a bench.
"As most of us do, you go, what am I going to get them as a gift?" Meghan explained.
She added, "And I thought I just wanted something sentimental and a place for him to have as a bit of a home base with our son."
"In this story, I'm observing this love between my husband and our son and imagining what it will be as they have more shared moments as our son gets older," she continued.
Speaking about the sweet gift, she added, "So from scraping a knee to having a heart broken, whatever it is, that they always rest at this bench and have this moment to bond."
Although Meghan hopes that readers will be able to "see this as a love story that transcends the story of my family," there are also plenty of sweet nods to her own family in the book.
Harry and 2-year-old Archie are shown several times in the book, and Meghan even included their newborn daughter - including an illustration showing a woman wearing a sun hat, representing Meghan, standing in a garden with baby Lili in a sling.
Speaking with NPR, Meghan shared that there are "a lot" of "Easter eggs and nuggets" in the book.
"If people start digging I think you can find sweet little moments that we've tucked in there. From my favorite flower, even my husband's mom's favorite flower, forget-me-nots - we wanted to make sure those were included in there," she said.
"There's a lot of special detail and love that went into this book," she added.
The book is illustrated by Caldecott-winning artist Christian Robinson.