meghan markle book© Photo: Getty Images

Meghan Markle has an exciting week ahead of her

It's a big first for the Duchess of Sussex

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Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
June 4, 2021

The Duchess of Sussex has a very exciting week ahead of her – her debut book is being released in a matter of days.

It was announced in May that Meghan has penned her very first children's story, The Bench, which will be published by Random House Children's Books on Tuesday 8 June.

The book was inspired by Meghan's husband Prince Harry and their firstborn Archie. It's about the "special bond between father and son - as seen through a mother's eyes".

READ: Why Archie and his baby sister could make their Buckingham Palace balcony debuts next year

WATCH: New footage of Archie shared in Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview

Beautifully illustrated by bestselling artist, Christian Robinson, one picture in the book shows a weeping woman watching through a ground floor window as a red-haired soldier, in army combat uniform, throws his son in the air, having just returned home after a lengthy period away.

"The Bench started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father's Day, the month after Archie was born," said the Duchess. "That poem became this story. Christian layered in beautiful and ethereal watercolour illustrations that capture the warmth, joy, and comfort of the relationship between fathers and sons from all walks of life; this representation was particularly important to me, and Christian and I worked closely to depict this special bond through an inclusive lens."

MORE: How Meghan Markle's baby's birth announcement will be so different to Archie's

MORE: Is this what Prince Harry and Meghan will call their baby daughter?

Pre-order The Bench by The Duchess of Sussex, £9.99, Amazon

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Last month, Harry and Meghan celebrated Archie's second birthday, sharing a new photo on their Archewell website of the little boy holding a huge bunch of balloons. The couple also marked their third wedding anniversary on 19 May.

The Duchess is due to give birth to a baby girl this summer, who will be eighth-in-line to the throne after her big brother Archie

The Sussexes live in Montecito, Santa Barbara after stepping back from royal duties in March 2020.

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