Meghan Markle’s first children’s book is full of “sweet little moments” that are meaningful to her family.
The Duchess of Sussex joined NPR Weekend Edition on Sunday to talk about The Bench, which was inspired by a poem she wrote to husband Prince Harry for Father’s Day 2019, just weeks after the couple welcomed their first child, son Archie. (On June 4, they became parents of two with the birth of their daughter, Lilibet Diana.)
Meghan, 39, revealed that the book featured a subtle nod to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.
“I think you can find sweet little moments that we’ve tucked in there, from my favorite flower, even my husband’s mum’s favorite flower, forget-me-nots, we wanted to make sure they were included in there,” she said. “There’s a lot of special detail and love that went into that book.”
This isn’t the first time Meghan and Prince Harry, 36, paid tribute to Princess Diana with her favorite flower. Shortly after Archie’s birth, the couple celebrated Mother’s Day by sharing a photo of Meghan holding Archie over a field of forget-me-nots.
Meghan also included her family in the book, including several illustrations representing Harry and Archie. And in the final drawing, Meghan is seen carrying a baby – a nod to baby Lili, as they parents plan to call her – and surrounded by the family’s two dog and chickens.
“I needed my girls in there,” Meghan told NPR about the chickens, which she showed during her interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired in March.
Speaking with NPR, Meghan shared that 2-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 Lili. “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
