Royal Family

Meghan Markle’s book ‘The Bench’ steadily rises in charts after slow start

Meghan Markle’s debut children’s book, “The Bench,” climbed the Amazon bestsellers charts steadily on Tuesday, the first day of its release.

Markle, who welcomed her second child with husband Prince Harry on Friday, ranked at No. 34 on the Amazon UK bestsellers chart as of Tuesday afternoon. The book had failed to crack the top 200 earlier in the day, according to reports.

On the Amazon US bestsellers chart, meanwhile, “The Bench” was ranked at No. 100. The book — which also features an illustration of the Sussexes’ newborn daughter — had a rating of 4 stars out of a possible 5 with 53 reviews.

Illustrated by California artist Christian Robinson, “The Bench” explores “the special relationship between father and son, as seen through a mother’s eyes,” according to the book’s description.

Meghan Markle’s children’s book, “The Bench,” was released on Tuesday. Getty Images

Markle’s children’s book was initially announced in May. In a statement, the Duchess of Sussex explained how “The Bench” stemmed from a poem she had written for Harry, 36, on Father’s Day, following the birth of their first child, son Archie, who recently turned 2.

“My hope is that ‘The Bench’ resonates with every family, no matter the makeup, as much as it does with mine,” Markle said in a statement at the time.

Markle’s children’s book, “The Bench,” was initially announced in May. Penguin Random House via REUTERS

In response to the news, however, Markle was slammed by critics amid the estrangement from her own father, former Hollywood lighting director Thomas Markle.

“I don’t know how you can write about a boy, a son or a father, when you haven’t spoken to your own father for years,” royal commentator Angela Levin previously told the Sun.

This illustration from “The Bench” shows a red-headed soldier resembling Prince Harry. Random House

Markle’s father was at the center of a staged photo scandal ahead of 2018’s royal nuptials. The Duchess of Sussex has not seen her father in years.

As for Harry, who famously split from the royal family with Markle in 2020, he too has had frosty relations with his own father, heir to the throne Prince Charles.

Markle said Christian Robinson created “beautiful and ethereal watercolour illustrations that capture the warmth, joy, and comfort of the relationship between fathers and sons from all walks of life.” Random House

Since resigning from royal life, Markle and Harry are residing in a $14 million mansion in Montecito, Calif.