Meghan Markle looked chic in blue jeans and a shirt as she appeared on a YouTube channel for children to read her book, The Bench.
The Duchess Of Sussex, 40, slicked her hair into a loose bun and wore a relaxed shirt and jeans in the video. In the video, you can see her reclining in a garden seat at her Santa Barbara home, valued at $14 million.
The video was shared on Brightly Storytime’s channel, which is managed by Penguin Random House. Penguin Random House published The Bench and Prince Harry has a deal for a book.
Meghan explained that Meghan was reading before she began to read.
“I wrote this poem to my husband and Archie as a poem, and then turned it into an ebook so you could also enjoy it.
Meghan Markle looked elegant in a blue shirt with jeans while she appeared on a children’s YouTube channel to share her book, The Bench.
The Duchess can also be seen closing the book at the end of the clip. She says: “I hope you enjoyed The Bench. I loved being in a position to share it with You.
“And now, I hope that you are able to find your own bench, chair, or quiet nook.
“Just a place that is meaningful to you and that you can share it with someone you love. Brightly Storytime is looking forward to seeing you again soon. Goodbye!
After The Bench became a New York Times bestseller, Meghan claimed that her children’s book The Bench showed ‘another side to masculinity’. She wanted to thank readers.
The Duchess of Sussex explained how she wrote the book as a poem for her husband Harry and their son Archie
In a statement on the Archewell website in June, the Duchess said: ‘While this poem began as a love letter to my husband and son, I’m encouraged to see that its universal themes of love, representation and inclusivity are resonating with communities everywhere.
“In many ways, pursuing an equitable and more compassionate world starts with these core values.”
Meghan even went so far as to suggest that her book could be part of a blueprint for a new world, saying: ‘To depict another side of masculinity — one grounded in connection, emotion, and softness — is to model a world that so many would like to see for their sons and daughters alike.’
The Bench was inspired by a poem the Duchess of Sussex wrote for Prince Harry on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born, and explores the ‘special bond between father and son’ as ‘seen through a mother’s eyes’.
And while the £12.99 title was the UK’s best-selling picture book last week after being released on June 8, it did not perform so well on the wider chart – but experts said it could still make a fortune by being sold worldwide.
Tom Tivan, a literary expert, said that Penguin Random House Children’s, a German publisher of the book, has the rights worldwide to sell the English-language version. He could also sell translation rights for other publishers.
The Bookseller magazine’s managing editor, Mr Tivan, said to the Daily Mirror, “A little over 3,000 copies (3.212) were sold, The Bench is clearly not a big bestseller in week one. It didn’t even crack the top 50.”
“But I don’t believe that’s a disappointing for Penguin Random House Children’s because picture books generally don’t have huge sales starting out – even though the writer is the Duchess.
“The goal is to keep picture books in business for the long-term, as they have a longer shelf life than adult books. It’s not about a quick sale.
Early reviews for Meghan’s first foray into writing were not universally positive, although one cooed that ‘the book’s storytelling and illustration give us snapshots of shared moments that evoke a deep sense of warmth’.
Another described it as ‘soothing, loving, although a little schmaltzy in places’, while a third said it read ‘as if it has been penned as a self-help manual for need parents rather than as a story to entertain small kids’.
Another review said that the book was a “miracle” and that no publisher could have chosen to publish this grammar-defying set cod homilies.
Meghan Markle (left), with Prince Harry (left) and Archie (Cape Town, September 2019). Her first children’s novel failed to make it onto the UK Official Top 50 Charts. It was defeated by Marcus Rashford’s You Are A Champion (right).
After Meghan Markle’s children’s book The Bench was released on June 8, a bookshop employee placed it on a London shelf.
“But that’s planet Sussex. There even the business of raising children is all about the brand.
Little Lilibet Lili’ Diana Mountbatten–Windsor, Harry and Meghan’s second baby, was also featured in this book, which was illustrated long before her birth.
A picture of the entire Sussex Family in the garden at their Californian Mansion.
One of the illustrations in ‘The Bench’ which was written by Meghan and illustrated by Californian artist Christian Robinson
One illustration shows a ginger bearded father who looks a lot like Harry, cradling his baby on a bench beneath a tree.
Harry can be seen feeding their battery hen chickens, who were also featured in the couple’s bombshell interview earlier this year with Oprah Winfrey. Their son Archie is two years old. Archie and their two dogs, black Labrador Pula and beagle Guy, are running around the grounds.
Meghan was seen with a baby in a sling on her chest, in her vegetable patch.
Another illustration shows a ginger-bearded father, who bears a resemblance with the duke. He is seen holding a smiling child on a bench under an oak tree.
The text says: “This is your seat, where life will begin for you and our son, baby, our kin.” Another illustration shows a father-son duo wearing pink tutus while performing ballet poses.
The following words were added: ‘You will love him. You’ll listen. You’ll be his friend.
Early reviews for Meghan’s debut foray into writing weren’t all positive. However, one loved that ‘the book’s storytelling and illustration give snapshots of shared moments which evoke a deep level of warmth.
The Duchess wrote a touching note in the book: “For the man, and the boy who make mine heart pump-pump.”
It is unknown if Meghan has received an advance on the book or if any proceeds will be donated.
Meghan wrote alongside a photo of a father and his son playing with toy dinosaurs: ‘When life feels in chaos, you’ll be there to help him find order. The Bench also features a wheelchair-bound father.
He is shown fixing his son’s shoes and the text: “This is your bench, papa and son.” It continues on the next page with a father and his son wearing turbans: “To celebrate joys, and victories won.”
A touching inscription found in the book is reproduced from a handwritten note written in the Duchess’s distinctive calligraphy font. It reads: ‘For man and boy who make my heart pump-pump’
It is unknown if Meghan received an advance for the book, and if any of the proceeds will go to charity.
Industry experts have suggested she could have commanded a £500,000 advance alone. Christian Robinson, a well-known Californian artist, illustrates the Bench.