Meghan Markle the author: Feast your eyes on her first children’s book

Look out, world! The latest news on what Meghan Markle has been up to confirms that the Duchess of Sussex can now add “author” on to her résumé, and we’re absolutely thrilled for her. If you’ve got any little ones of your own at home, why not consider purchasing her debut children’s book, set to arrive in about a month? Find out all the exciting details of her upcoming book here. 

What will the book be about? 

The latest news on what the upcoming book written by Meghan Markle will be all about confirms that it “captures the evolving and expanding relationship between fathers and sons” and “reminds us of the many ways that love can take shape and be expressed in a modern family”. The book, titled The Bench, will be about the special bond between a dad and his son through the eyes of a mother. 

Of course, who else would be the inspiration behind her writing process of The Bench other than her own precious family herself: her, her husband Prince Harry, and their son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor? How adorable is that? If you’re already excited by this news and can’t wait for the book’s release, Meghan Markle will be releasing The Bench on June 8th. We can’t wait! 

The Bench is of course written entirely by the Duchess of Sussex herself, but her writing is coupled with the beautiful artworks of award-winning illustrator Christian Robinson. Just through the cover of the book so far, the illustrations look absolutely comforting and beautiful, with a tree and bench painted in light watercolor. The book is published by Random House Children’s Books. 

Markle will also be narrating the audiobook edition of The Bench. In a statement after the news was released about her upcoming book, Meghan Markle said: “The Bench started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born. That poem became this story”. 

When speaking on her book’s illustrator, she said: “Christian layered in beautiful and ethereal watercolor 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”. 

“My hope is that The Bench resonates with every family, no matter the makeup, as much as it does with mine”, the Duchess of Sussex added. 

Reading the description and published excerpt of the Duchess’s new book, this is not the same story or the same theme as The Boy on the Bench. I don’t see any similarities.

— Corrinne Averiss (@CorrinneAveriss) May 5, 2021

Already some controversy? 

It’s unfortunately no surprise that anytime Meghan Markle does as much as bat her eyes or open her mouth at this point, she’s met with a crowd of critics ready to tear her down or try to ruin her reputation, and this time, the situation was no different. After the Duchess of Sussex announced the release of her upcoming book, folks began to spread rumors that she actually stole the idea from another children’s author. 

Many people online began to accuse Meghan Markle of stealing the idea from the book The Boy on the Bench by Corrinne Averiss and Gabriel Alborozo, calling it the “original” that Markle took from. While of course, plagiarism is a horrible act and accusations of such should be taken seriously, the critiques proved to be nothing but BS after the author of The Boy on the Bench themselves stepped forward to speak on the issue. 

In a simple statement written on Twitter, Corrinne Averiss wrote: “Reading the description and published excerpt of the Duchess’s new book, this is not the same story or the same theme as The Boy on the Bench. I don’t see any similarities”. So, there you have it folks. This is just another reminder to always hear out both sides of the situation first.