Skip to main contentSkip to footer
meghan markle cnn

Meghan Markle reveals subtle tribute to Princess Diana in new book The Bench

Did you spot it?

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Read our full commerce guidelines here.

Ainhoa Barcelona
Content Managing Editor
June 20, 2021
Share this:

The Duchess of Sussex has highlighted the subtle tribute to her late mother-in-law Princess Diana in her new children's book, The Bench. In an interview with journalist Samantha Balaban on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday programme, Meghan revealed that she asked illustrator Christian Robinson to include sketches of Diana's favourite flowers, forget-me-nots, throughout the book.

MORE: Prince William poses in never-before-seen photo with George, Charlotte and Louis for Father's Day

"There are all those sorts of Easter eggs and nuggets tucked within the book," Meghan said during the joint interview with Christian. "There's a lot if people start digging.

WATCH: Illustrator of the book talks about working with Meghan Markle

"I think you can find sweet little moments that we've tucked in there, from my favourite flower, even my husband's mum's favourite flower, forget-me-nots, we wanted to make sure they were included in there. There's a lot of special detail and love that went into that book."

MORE: Meghan Markle's special Father's Day gift revealed

GALLERY: 7 times Princess Diana took William and Harry to work with her

The Duchess, who was giving her first interview since the birth of her baby daughter Lili in June, also revealed how her two-year-old son Archie reacted to her debut children's book.

the bench forget me nots

Meghan asked for Princess Diana's favourite flower, forget-me-nots, to be included in the illustrations

"Archie loves the book, Christian I haven't told you... he loves the book, which is great because he has a voracious appetite for books," she said, adding: "Constantly when we read him a book he goes, 'Again, again, again,' and now we can say, 'Mummy wrote the book for you,' it feels amazing."

The mother-of-two also said: "It's a love story. 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." She went on: "I really hope that people can see this as a love story that transcends the story of my family."

the bench cover

The Bench by Meghan Markle, £8, Amazon

SHOP NOW

Prince Harry and Meghan welcomed their baby daughter on 4 June, announcing her arrival two days after the birth. The couple chose to name their newborn Lilibet after the Queen – Lilibet was Her Majesty's childhood nickname – while also giving her the middle name Diana, after her paternal grandmother.

The Sussexes continue to pay tribute to the late People's Princess and on Meghan's first Mother's Day in 2019, she shared a beautiful close-up photo of Archie's feet against a backdrop of forget-me-nots, again in reference to Diana.

Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity, royal and lifestyle news delivered directly to your inbox.

HELLO!'s selection is editorial and independently chosen – we only feature items our editors love and approve of. HELLO! may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. To find out more visit our FAQ page.

Sign up to HELLO! Daily for all the latest and best royal coverage

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Royalty

See more