Meghan, Duchess of Sussex writes debut children's book for PRH

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has written a children's book for Penguin Random House called The Bench, about the “special bond between father and son as seen through a mother’s eyes”. 

Inspired by her own husband and son, the book 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 publisher said. The book is illustrated by Caldecott-winning artist Christian Robinson.

The Duchess explained: “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. Christian layered in beautiful and ethereal watercolour 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 make-up, as much as it does with mine.”

Puffin will release the book on 8th June 2021 in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa. In the US it will be released simultaneously by Random House Children’s Books. The author will also narrate the audiobook edition, to be released in the UK by Penguin Random House UK Audio.

Mallory Loehr, executive vice-president and publisher at Random House Books for Young Readers Group, said: “Meghan’s touching text explores the relationship between fathers and sons and undeniably tugs at the heartstrings that parents and caregivers feel. Christian’s art beautifully matches the tender emotion of Meghan’s words, and every spread is infused with a vibrant sense of joy and love. The Bench is timeless—it feels destined to become one of those books that people will be reading for generations to come.”