Meghan Markle Shares How Prince Harry and Archie Inspired Her Book, The Bench
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The Duchess of Sussex recently published her children's book, The Bench, which included a few sweet drawings of her husband, Prince Harry, and their son, Archie. In an interview with NPR, Meghan shared that her family inspired more than just the book's artwork.
The Duchess noted that for Harry's first Father's Day, she got him a bench. Of course, this gift later inspired her children's book's title.
"As most of us do, you go, what am I going to get them as a gift? 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," Meghan said.
The Duchess also added her own special touch to the present—a little plaque on the back. There, Meghan had engraved a short poem.
"This is your bench," the poem reads, "Where life will begin/For you and our son/Our baby, our kin."
It is this poem that was expanded and turned into Meghan's The Bench book. In the full story, a series of vignettes portrays fathers and sons, growing up, learning, and bonding on their own special benches. Meghan also shared that these small moments were inspired by watching Prince Harry with their son, Archie.
"I often find, and especially in this past year, I think so many of us realized how much happens in the quiet," she 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."
Now, the Duke and Duchess can share the book not only with Archie, but also with their new baby Lillibet, who was born just four days before the book was published. She even makes a small cameo in one of the book's illustrations. Meghan shared that, despite this story's personal inspiration, she hopes everyone can relate to the poem.
"It's a love story," she says. "It's really just about growing with someone and having this deep connection and this trust so that, be it good times or bad, you know that you had this person."
"I really hope that people can see this as a love story that transcends the story of my family."
You Might Also Like
