First look inside Meghan Markle’s new children’s book The Bench with nods to Harry, Archie and Lili

The Duchess of Sussex has released a children’s book inspired by the relationship between her husband Prince Harry and two-year-old son Archie.

Meghan’s publication, called The Bench, also includes a nod to daughter Lilibet “Lili” Diana, who was born on Friday.

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The book is dedicated to “the man and the boy who make my heart go pump-pump”, a touching reference to the Duke of Sussex and their two-year-old son Archie.

What the book is about

The Bench’s final illustration features a ginger-haired man helping a young boy feed chickens while a dark-haired woman stands in a garden cradling a baby – possibly a nod to Lili.

The scene appears to be heavily influenced by Harry, 36, and 39-year-old Meghan’s life in Montecito, Southern California.

As well as the chickens – which appeared during the broadcast of the couple’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March – two dogs also feature in the illustration.

The duke and duchess also have two dogs – a black Labrador named Pula and a beagle named Guy.

The Bench is on sale now and features work by award-winning artist Christian Robinson, with the duchess narrating the audiobook.

‘You’ll love him. You’ll listen. You’ll be his supporter’

The first illustration features a bearded ginger father – who bears a resemblance to the duke – cradling a smiling baby on a bench under a tree.

The text reads: “This is your bench, where life will begin, for you and our son, our baby, our kin.”

Further into the book a black father lies asleep on a bench holding his son closely. The boy sweetly clutches a toy giraffe in one hand while holding his father’s hand in the other.

The text reads: “From here you will rest, see the growth of our boy.”

In another illustration, a father and son duo each wear pink tutus while performing ballet poses.

The accompanying words read: “You’ll love him. You’ll listen. You’ll be his supporter.”

Alongside a picture of a father and son playing with toy dinosaurs, Meghan wrote: “When life feels in shambles, you’ll help him find order.”

The book is the second publication the duchess has been involved with after being the driving force behind Together – a cookbook featuring recipes from Grenfell Tower women.

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