Meghan has praised Harry's parenting in a new interview. Photo / Getty Images
Meghan has praised Harry's parenting in a new interview. Photo / Getty Images
Meghan Markle has revealed that her newly released children's book was inspired by a Father's Day gift she got husband Harry for his first Father's Day, when she got him a bench.
In an interview with NPR this weekend, for Father's Day in the US and UK, Meghan explained the reason behind her thoughtful gift for the new dad, shortly after Archie, 2, was born.
"As most of us do, you go, what am I going to get them as a gift? And I thought I just wanted something sentimental and a place for him to have as a bit of a home base with our son," she said, in what was her first interview since the explosive chat with Oprah Winfrey.
The bench she gifted Harry included a plaque, in which her poem for him was inscribed: "This is your bench," the poem reads, "Where life will begin/For you and our son/Our baby, our kin."
Now, that gift has led to Meghan's first children's book - The Bench - which she says Archie loves.
An illustration of a father and son are seen inside a copy of Meghan Markle's book, The Bench. Photo / Getty Images
In the pre-recorded interview, done before the birth of the couple's second child Lilibet Diana, Meghan explained what she hoped people would get from the book.
She said the poem was inspired by watching her husband and Archie together.
"I often find, and especially in this past year, I think so many of us realised how much happens in the quiet," she said.
"It was definitely moments like that, watching them from out of the window and watching [my husband] just, you know, rock him to sleep or carry him or, you know ... those lived experiences, from my observation, are the things that I infused in this poem."
Meghan has praised Harry's parenting in a new interview. Photo / Getty Images
In the interview, she also said Archie is a "voracious" reader who loves the book, which includes personal and family details such as Princess Diana's favourite flower, and the Sussexes' rescue chickens.
"I knew our son would notice all of those elements, and he loves the book, which is great because he has a voracious appetite for books and constantly when we read him a book he goes 'again, again, again'. But now the fact he loves The Bench and we can say 'Mummy wrote this for you' feels amazing," the duchess said.
"I think you can find sweet little moments that we hid in there - of my favourite flower, even my husband's mum's favourite 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."
Markle said the book is "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. I really hope that people can see this as a love story that transcends the story of my family," she added.
