The news that Meghan Markle has written her first children’s novel, influenced by Prince Harry and son Archie’s relationship, has divided commentators.
Meghan Markle’s latest children’s book has been dubbed “ludicrously inappropriate” and hypocritical by Piers Morgan.
The TV personality, who has been a vocal opponent of the royal couple, reacted angrily when it was announced yesterday that the Duchess of Sussex is releasing on her first book, The Bench.
The Bench will be published on June 8 and captures the “evolving and expanding relationship between fathers and sons” in addition to Meghan’s own family history.
The Bench, based on a poem she wrote for Prince Harry on his first Father’s Day with son Archie, is a picture book that tells the tale of a father-son relationship from the perspective of a woman.
Piers, who resigned from Good Morning Britain despite declining to apologize to Meghan for remarks made regarding her following the Oprah interview, claimed he “laughed out loud” when he found out about the novel.
He also wrote in his Daily Mail section that the news is “beyond parody”
“The whole notion of Meghan Markle dishing out advice to anyone about the relationship between fathers and children is absolutely ridiculous given the appalling relationships she and her husband have with their own fathers,” he added.
“This new book about father-children relationships is just another example of Meghan Markle’s never-ending penchant for preaching what she never practices.
“If she really cared about father-child relationships, she’d take a chauffeur-driven limousine on the hour-long trip to see her own father who’s never even met either Harry or Archie.
“And if she really cared about father-child relationships, she would never have trashed Harry’s family on global TV in the horrible way that she did, causing yet more damage, possibly irreparably, to Harry’s relationship with his father.”
He also called Meghan a “cynical disingenuous manipulator” who is “intent on wrecking the Royal Family’s image around the world with her shameless, shameful, money-grabbing victim-playing antics”
‘Not sure Oprah chat did much for father & sons’ Meghan’s ‘hypocrisy’ is slammed by Andrew Neil.
As the Duchess of Sussex launches her first children’s book, political commentator Andrew Neil took aim at her. Andrew Neil, speaking on This Morning, said Meghan was being hypocritical by focusing on this topic.
He maintained that Meghan and Harry’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey did little to improve Harry’s friendship with his father.
He also expressed concern over the front page, which reads “Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex” after the couple criticized the monarchy.
He said, “You say it is on the relationship between fathers and sons or fathers and their kids, I’m not sure her interview with Oprah did very much for that particular relationship for Prince Charles and Prince Harry.
“I do think it is interesting that she has got the Duchess of Sussex plastered across the front page.
“This is after having savaged the Royal Family in that interview with some really major complaints.
“Most of which we can check factually turn out to be true like them being wedded in advance or Archie being denied being a Prince.”
Mr Neil maintained that the book was about making profits and urged people to pay less attention to the royal couple.
“I think there is a little bit of hypocrisy here, she is going to make money, that is the aim of this now.
“My sense is that the sooner the media and the public lose interest in this couple that live just north of Los Angeles in California the better we will all be.
“It is no big deal really.
“Having read a little bit of it in the publisher’s press release, the pros are pretty terrible.”
Upstaging Kate
Meghan has also been accused of attempting to outdo Kate by releasing her latest book just days before Kate’s is set to be published.
Supporters of the royal family were quick to point out that the Duchess of Cambridge’s photography book is set to be released on Friday, May 7.
Meghan has been accused of attempting to outshine the Cambridges by posting photos or making statements at inopportune moments.
She’s now facing backlash for taking the spotlight just days before Catherine’s memoir, Hold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation in 2020, is set to be published.
When Meghan revealed the publication of her memoir, some Kate fans took to Twitter to criticize the timing.
When ITV’s royal editor Chris Ship reported the news, one analyst retorted, “And surprise surprise released just before the Duchess of Cambridge photographic one.”
Another enraged Meghan detractor wrote on Twitter: “So now just as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, has the HOLD STILL book about to be released on May 7, the desperate, despicable MeMeMe! Montecito mum chooses to release a book she wrote in 2019. Connect the dots, people!”
“Funny how it’s being advertised now just as the Duchess of Cambridge’s book on the photographs taken by the public during lockdown is due to be released!” said another.
The Duchess of Cambridge started the project exactly a year ago, with the intention of recording life during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it is now available.
The book’s profits will go to the Mind foundation and the National Portrait Gallery, all of whom the Duchess supports.
Middleton, a keen photographer, started the initiative during the country’s first national lockdown, encouraging people to send in photos of their lives during the time.
The Duchess and a jury of judges hand-selected 100 “poignant and personal” photographs from over 31,000 submissions for the final book.
