Meghan Markle’s debut children’s book, “The Bench,” failed to top the bestsellers list in the UK on its release date, the Daily Mail reported Tuesday.
Markle, who welcomed her second child with husband Prince Harry on Friday, made it to the No. 205 spot on the Amazon UK chart, according to the report. It is currently at No. 67 in children’s books.
Random House
As of Tuesday morning, “The Bench” — which also features an illustration of the Sussexes’ newborn daughter — currently has a rating of 4 stars out of a possible 5 with 20 reviews.
“The Bench,” which was illustrated by California artist Christian Robinson, explores “the special relationship between father and son, as seen through a mother’s eyes,” according to the book’s description.
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.
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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.
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.
Since resigning from royal life, Markle and Harry are residing in a $14 million mansion in Montecito, Calif.
