Meghan Markle discusses power of inclusivity with book in first interview since Oprah Winfrey conversation

Meghan Markle discussed the power of representation during her first interview since her highly publicized sit-down with Oprah Winfrey.

The Duchess of Sussex spoke to NPR about putting an emphasis on inclusivity while making her new children’s book, “The Bench.”

“Growing up, I remember so much how it felt to not see yourself represented,” Meghan told the outlet in an interview published Sunday.

“Any child or any family hopefully can open this book and see themselves in it, whether that means glasses or freckled or a different body shape or a different ethnicity or religion.”

The title of the book, which arrived earlier this month, references the bench Meghan gifted to Prince Harry during his first Father’s Day as a dad.

Meghan and Harry are now parents to two children: son Archie, 2, and daughter Lilibet, who was born June 4.

The NPR interview was conducted before the birth of Lilibet, with Markle sharing how Harry’s relationship with Archie was a driving force for the book.

“I often find, and especially in this past year, I think so many of us realized how much happens in the quiet,” Markle said. “It was definitely moments like that, watching them from out of the window and watching [my husband] just, you know, rock him to sleep or carry him or, you know ... those lived experiences, from my observation, are the things that I infused in this poem.”

Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, married in 2018. Last year, they stepped down from their senior royal duties in the United Kingdom, and have since moved to Southern California.

Their wide-ranging interview with Winfrey aired in March and involved them describing the challenges they faced before leaving the U.K.

During that interview, Markle said she learned of concerns within the palace over “how dark” Archie’s skin might be before he was born. Harry later said Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip weren’t part of those conversations, according to Winfrey.

Harry and Meghan’s newborn daughter’s name pays homage to the Queen, whose longtime nickname is Lilibet. The child’s middle name, Diana, is after Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana.