Meghan reveals touching nod to Princess Diana in best-selling children’s book
It's her first and only interview on new book The Bench.
Meghan Markle has revealed she paid tribute to Princess Diana in her new children’s book by including a ‘sweet little moment’.
The Duchess of Sussex said Diana’s favourite flowers, forget-me-nots, can be found in The Bench, which is already a New York Times bestseller.
In her first and only interview on the work, the former actress named the book a ‘love story’ about growing with Prince Harry in ‘good times and bad’.
She added that their son, ‘voracious reader’ Archie, ‘loves it’ and it ‘feels amazing to tell him Mummy wrote this for you’.
Meghan told NPR: ‘It’s really just about growing with someone and having this deep connection and this trust so that, be at 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.’
She continued: ‘I think you can find sweet little moments that we hid in there – of my favourite flower, even my husband’s mom’s favorite flower, forget-me-nots.
‘We wanted to make sure those were included in there. There are many, many special details and love that went into this book.’
The Bench was inspired by watching Harry in ‘quiet moments where he would rock their child to sleep or carry him’.
The duchess revealed she had the idea for a poem after buying the duke a bench for his first Father’s Day.
She wanted ‘something sentimental and a place for him to have as a bit of a home base with our son’.
A plaque on the back of the bench read: ‘This is your bench. Where life will begin/For you and our son/Our baby, our kin.’
The family’s rescue chickens were also included in the work, with Meghan joking: ‘I needed my girls in there’.
Inclusivity and representing different families were two of the main things on the royal’s mind while creating the book.
She wanted to include a military family after going on tour with the United Service Organizations (USO) in 2014.
Meghan said: ‘Growing up, I remember so much how it felt to not see yourself represented.
‘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.’
Christian Robinson, who illustrated the picture book, said he was in ‘complete disbelief’ when the duchess emailed him to work together. He said: ‘For me it was a no-brainer.’
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have had a turbulent few years in the public eye after stepping down from the Royal Family and moving to the US.
Meghan spoke to NPR shortly before the birth of her daughter, Lilibet Diana.
The little girl’s name spurred a row, with Meghan and Harry forced to shoot down allegations they hadn’t asked the Queen for permission to use her nickname.
Her Majesty is said to be changing her press policy to allow the Royal Family to respond to ‘mistruths’.
The new interview comes amid reports Prince Charles has plans to create a slimmed-down monarchy, meaning Archie will not be a prince.
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