Publications
Prince Harry has joined the working world to bring home the bacon after stepping aside from royal duties and now his wife is also doing her bit by writing a book for kids. We take a peek.
In a statement announcing The Bench, which is a celebration of the special relationship between fathers and sons, she explained that it was inspired by "a poem I wrote for my husband on Father's Day, the month after Archie was born. That poem became this story."
One of the pictures in the book by American illustrator Christian Robinson shows a boy being lifted into the air by a red-haired man in military uniform as a woman weeps from the window - which seems to be a visual reference to Prince Harry who served in Afghanistan with British army regiment the Blues and Royals.
The words accompanying the picture say: "Looking out at My Love and our beautiful boy. And here in the window I'll have tears of joy."
Another image features a father with his baby boy sleeping on a lounger outside.
The words say: "From here you will rest, see the growth of our boy."
Meghan added that she wanted to tell the story through an "inclusive lens" and feature a "diverse group of father and sons".
"My hope is that The Bench resonates with every family, no matter the makeup, as much as it does with mine," she adds.
But some critics are irked by the fact that she chose to use her official title, Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, on the cover, given that she and her husband, who are now permanently based in the US, are no longer active royals.
Others pointed out that she's the last person who should be writing about the subject of fatherhood when she and her own dad, Thomas Markle, aren't even on speaking terms.
The 40-page book, which is aimed at children aged 3-7, is due out next month. Although her publisher hasn't revealed what she will earn for writing the book, publishing experts say she would likely have scored an advance of between £250 000 - £500 000 (R5 million-R10 million).
Sources close to the 39-year-old, who is expecting her second child, have revealed she has long aspired to write a children's book and hopes to write more in the future.
“Meghan loves writing and she’s very good at it,” an insider told Vanity Fair. “She wanted to have a go at writing a children’s book first and depending on the success of this, there will be more. She is also keen to write books for adults too.”
