Meghan Markle reveals she left subtle tributes to Princess Diana in new book

21 June 2021, 12:30 | Updated: 21 June 2021, 12:31

By Alice Dear

Meghan Markle gave her first interview about her new children's book, The Bench, over the weekend, where she revealed the nods to Prince Harry's mother.

Meghan Markle, 39, released her first children's earlier this year, The Bench, which was inspired by Prince Harry's relationship with their son, Archie.

The Duchess of Sussex spoke about the book in the first interview since she gave birth to Lilibet Diana, who was born at the start of June.

During the interview, Meghan spoke about the inspirations behind the book, and even shared some of the 'Easter eggs' hidden within the pages.

• Meghan Markle 'will not join Prince Harry' at unveiling of Diana statue next month
• Kate Middleton says she 'can't wait to meet' Lilibet Diana during outing
• Harry and Meghan reveal they did ask the Queen to use the name Lilibet

Speaking to NPR Weekend Edition on Sunday, Meghan revealed that Princess Diana's favourite flowers – forget-me-nots – are included in the illustrations.

She explained: “It was such a great idea that Christian [illustrator of the book] had as well, once we had decided on what the benches looked like for each specific vignette, to have them all at the beginning and at the end of the book.

“So as a child, you could go ‘let me find each bench’ and it’s its own little project and game, and all those little Easter eggs or nuggets that are tucked within the book."

She went on: “There’s a lot, if people start digging, I think you can find sweet little moments that we’ve tucked in there, from my favourite flower, even my husband’s mom’s favourite flowers are forget-me-nots, we wanted to make sure those were included.”

The Bench started as a poem Meghan penned to her husband, which reflected his bond with their son.

Meghan continued to explain during the interview: “I often find, and especially in this past year, I think so many of us realised how much happens in the quiet.

“It was definitely moments like that, watching them from out the window and watching [my husband] just, you know, rock him to sleep or carry him or, you know… those lived experiences, from my observations, are the things that I infused in this poem.”

• First look at Princess Diana's iconic wedding dress on display at Kensington Palace
• Prince Harry says he had to 'share grief with the world' at Diana's funeral in new documentary
• Queen marks Prince Philip's 100th birthday by planting special 'Duke of Edinburgh' rose

A brief timeline of Harry and Meghan's relationship

• July 2016: Meghan and Harry are set up on a blind date in London
• November 2016: Meghan and Harry confirm they are in a relationship
• September 2017: Meghan and Harry are seen together for the first time at the Invictus Games
• November 2017: Harry proposes to Meghan and the couple sit down for first interview together
• December 2017: Meghan and Harry attend their first royal engagement together in Nottingham
• May 2018: Meghan and Harry web at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle
• October 2018: Meghan and Harry announce they're having a baby
• May 2019: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor is born
• January 2020: Harry and Meghan announce they are stepping back at senior royals
• July 2020: Meghan and Harry move to Santa Barbara
• November 2020: Meghan reveals she suffered a miscarriage in July that year
• February 2021: Harry and Meghan announce they're pregnant with second child
• February 2021: The Royal Family announce Meghan and Harry will no longer be working members of the royal family
• March 2021: The couples explosive Oprah Winfrey interview airs in the US and UK
• June 2021: Meghan and Harry welcome Lilibet Diana