KEY POINTS
- Meghan Markle gave Prince Harry a bench for his First Father's Day
- The bench came with a plaque on which Markle's poem that inspired her book "The Bench" appears
- The duchess stressed that her book is a "love story that transcends the story of my family"
Meghan Markle gave Prince Harry a nontraditional gift when he celebrated his first Father's Day two years ago.
In an interview with NPR's "Weekend Edition" Sunday, the Duchess of Sussex spoke about her children's book "The Bench," which was inspired by the poem she wrote to her husband for Father's Day 2019. But aside from the poem, the duchess shared that she also gave Prince Harry a "sentimental" gift to mark the milestone occasion.
"As most of us do, you go, 'What am I going to get them as a gift?'" Markle said in her first interview since her and Prince Harry's bombshell tell-all with Oprah Winfrey in March. "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."
Markle decided to give her husband a bench for his first Father's Day, weeks after they welcomed their son Archie in 2019. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now parents of two after welcoming baby Lili on June 4.
On the back of the bench is a plaque, on which Markle's poem appears.
"This is your bench," the poem read, "Where life will begin/ For you and our son/ Our baby, our kin."
Speaking about her book, the duchess discussed the significance of having other cultures, religions, ethnicities and more represented in the illustrations of "The Bench." Markle said her book represents all the children.
"Growing up, I remember so much how it felt to not see yourself represented," Markle explained. "Any child or any family hopefully can open this book and see themselves in it, whether that means glasses or freckled or a different body shape or a different ethnicity or religion."
Markle also said that "The Bench" is a "love story that transcends the story of my family," and she hoped that the readers could see it.
"I often find, and especially in this past year, I think so many of us realized how much happens in the quiet," the duchess shared. "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."
She added, "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."
Last week, Markle thanked her fans and supporters after "The Bench" topped the New York Times bestsellers list just a week after it was published. She also acknowledged and expressed how grateful she was to everyone involved in the project.
"Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex’s debut children’s book, The Bench, is #1 on The New York Times Bestseller list for children’s picture books after being released just last week. Congratulations to everyone involved in the project," she wrote on the Archewell's website.
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex ride by carriage down the Mall during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 08, 2019 in London, England. Photo: Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage
