Invictus Games: Meghan will carry reading of her book The Bench

Meghan will carry out a ‘secret reading’ of her picture book The Bench for children at the Invictus Games before jetting back to California

Meghan Markle will carry out a ‘secret reading’ of her picture book The Bench at the Invictus Games
She is due to read to children at the British Embassy tent in Holland before flying back to California
The duke and duchess arrived at the Invictus Games yesterday with their Netflix crew in tow
Couple had met the Queen and Prince Charles at Windsor to ‘clear the air’ before going to Holland

Meghan Markle is set to stage a ‘secret reading’ of her debut book The Bench to children at the British Embassy tent at the Invictus Games tomorrow before jetting back to her luxurious £11million mansion in California, insiders have revealed.

The Duchess of Sussex last year proudly announced that she was inspired to write her £12.99 children’s pictured book after writing a poem for Prince Harry’s first Father’s Day in June 2019, the month after their now two-year-old son Archie was born.

Upon its release last year, The Bench topped the New York Times Bestsellers List for children’s picture books, but sold just 3,212 copies in the UK its first week – behind books by footballer Marcus Rashford and TV personality Richard Osman at the time.

Early reviews for the book were not universally positive, though one cooed that ‘the book’s storytelling and illustration give us snapshots of shared moments that evoke a deep sense of warmth’. Another described it as ‘soothing, loving, although a little schmaltzy in places’.

Insiders have told The Sun that Meghan will carry out a ‘secret reading’ of the book to children at the British Embassy tent on the Games park in Holland, where they are filming a Netflix documentary about the competition for injured military veterans. It is not known if the reading will feature in the new programme, entitled Heart of Invictus.

Today, the couple will both speak on stage at the opening ceremony later. They are set to address the audience at the televised event in The Hague, which will be attended by members of the Dutch royal family and the country’s prime minister.

Harry and Meghan made their first public appearance together in Europe since Megxit yesterday as they broke cover at the Invictus Games – with a Netflix film crew in tow.

After the Daily Mail revealed details of their secret detour to Windsor to meet the Queen and Prince Charles, the couple arrived in the Netherlands just ahead of the Games’ opening ceremony. Pictures showed the Netflix film crew standing apart from the dozens of photographers covering Harry and Meghan’s arrival at the Zuiderpark in The Hague.

Harry and Meghan made their first public appearance together in Europe since Megxit yesterday as they broke cover at the Invictus Games – with a Netflix film crew in tow

A woman in a London bookshop poses with the children’s book The Bench by Meghan, June 8, 2021

Harry and Meghan are pictured smiling and waving as they arrive at the Invictus Games in Holland, April 15, 2022

A Netflix crew are pictured following the royal couple at the Zuiderpark in The Hague, Holland, April 15, 2022

What is Meghan’s The Bench? And how was it reviewed?

Front cover of Meghan Markle’s The Bench

A further review said: ‘One wonders how any publisher could have thought fit to publish this grammar-defying set of badly rhyming cod homilies, let alone think any child anywhere would want to read it. But that’s planet Sussex for you, where even the business of raising a family is all about the brand.’

In Meghan’s debut book The Bench, one illustration shows the entire Sussex family in the garden of their Californian mansion.

Harry can be seen feeding their rescued battery hen chickens – who also featured in the couple’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year – with son Archie, two, with their two dogs, beagle Guy and black Labrador Pula, running around in the grounds. And Meghan can been seen amidst her vegetable patch with a baby in a sling around her chest.

In one illustration in The Bench, a red-headed soldier wearing an American-style Army cap is seen holding his young son aloft as a woman watches on crying from a window (pictured)

Another image features a father with his baby boy sleeping on a lounger outside. A media release said the book featured a ‘diverse group of fathers and sons’

Another illustration features a bearded ginger father – who bears a resemblance to the duke – cradling a smiling baby on a bench under a tree. The text reads: ‘This is your bench, where life will begin, for you and our son, our baby, our kin.’

In another illustration, a father and son duo each wear pink tutus while performing ballet poses. The accompanying words read: ‘You’ll love him. You’ll listen. You’ll be his supporter.’

Alongside a picture of a father and son playing with toy dinosaurs, Meghan wrote: ‘When life feels in shambles, you’ll help him find order.’

A father using a wheelchair also features in The Bench. He is drawn fixing his son’s shoes alongside the text: ‘This is your bench, for papa and son.’ It continues on the next page alongside a father and son wearing turbans: ‘To celebrate joys and victories won.’

Early reviews for The Bench were not universally positive, though one cooed that ‘the book’s storytelling and illustration give us snapshots of shared moments that evoke a deep sense of warmth’. Another described it as ‘soothing, loving, although a little schmaltzy in places’.

In Meghan’s debut book The Bench, one illustration shows the entire Sussex family in the garden of their Californian mansion.

In another illustration, a father and son duo each wear pink tutus while performing ballet poses. The accompanying words read: ‘You’ll love him. You’ll listen. You’ll be his supporter.’

Alongside a picture of a father and son playing with toy dinosaurs, Meghan wrote: ‘When life feels in shambles, you’ll help him find order.’

They flew out later that same day without a single photograph being taken, despite Harry’s ongoing legal action at the High Court in which he claims he does not feel safe bringing his family to the UK.

The event at the Games yesterday was supposed to be yellow carpet, but Harry and Meghan decided to attend in the last 48 hours, a source told MailOnline.

They were granted ‘VVIP’ status by the local authorities, affording them top-level local protection – which will be seen as an attempt to justify their non-attendance at Prince Philip’s memorial service at Westminster Abbey last month over security concerns, after Harry’s tax-payer funded protection was stripped when he quit the UK.

It comes after critics accused the couple of ‘cashing in’ on the Games by allowing Netflix, with whom they have signed a $100million deal, into private meetings.

Some fear they are also ‘exploiting the Queen’, saying their trip this week for top-secret ‘clear the air talks’ with the monarch and Prince Charles was to please their American producers.

The couple have signed a multi-million pound deal with the streaming giant, and a documentary about the Games – entitled Heart of Invictus – will be the first documentary series to be co-produced by Netflix with the Duke and Duchess’s own company, Archewell Productions.

Last night, it was suggested the couple’s highly secretive meeting with the Queen may feature in the forthcoming documentary about the international sporting event for injured or sick military personnel and veterans founded by Harry.

Meghan chose a crisp white suit by Valentino for a reception to welcome friends-and-family of the Games, wide legged trousers and a double-breasted jacket. The blazer is currently on sale for £2,100, with the matching trousers costing a further £1,100. Meghan carried a clutch bag which is also said to be from Valentino and is currently priced at £2,200. The couple walked into the event at the Zuiderpark in The Hague hand in hand, and were seen placing their hands on each other’s backs as they greeted people on what was their first joint appearance in Europe since they moved to California after they acrimoniously quit as working royals in 2020.

Yesterday, the Mail revealed how Meghan and Harry had secretly flown into the UK on Wednesday, before travelling to see the Queen.

It is understood the couple flew from LA on a commercial airline along with their private bodyguards on Tuesday night, arriving on Wednesday afternoon and staying at Frogmore Cottage.

It is understood the Sussexes had at least one meeting with the Queen and also met with Harry’s estranged father, Prince Charles, who was at Windsor on Thursday morning to stand in for the monarch at the annual Royal Mandy service.

According to The Mirror, senior royal sources described the meeting as ‘very cordial’ and ‘incredibly warm and good natured’. Harry and Meghan reportedly opened the door to return from the US for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and told her of their plans to visit again so she can spend time with the children.

The Queen is yet to meet her great-granddaughter, 11-month-old Lilibet, who was named after Her Majesty’s childhood nickname. Archie – seventh in line to the British throne – is now two years old, and reports have previously hinted at the Queen’s sadness at not having the chance to spend more time with him.

News of Harry and Meghan’s promise came after it emerged earlier that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are currently away holidaying in the French Alps with their children – just as the surprise visit occurred.

William and Kate are understood to be staying in the resort of Courcheval, with a picture circulating online of them watching their eldest son Prince George enjoy a skiing lesson.

Royal correspondent Robert Jobson said that it was ‘significant’ that the couple were not involved in the meeting between Harry and Meghan and other senior royals.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend a reception ahead of the start of the Invictus Games

Harry was seen smiling broadly and waving as he walked to the reception tent to meet dignitaries and athletes at the event

They headed towards the yellow carpet at the Invictus Games venue in The Hague, Netherlands

Harry and Meghan arrive at the Sportcampus Zuiderpark, The Hague, Netherlands, ahead of the Invictus Games 2022

Meghan last saw the Queen at an awkward Commonwealth Day service on March 8, 2020 (pictured) but has claimed since to regularly speak to her on the phone and over video calls

The Queen arrives to view a display of artefacts from British craftwork company, Halcyon Days, to commemorate the company’s 70th anniversary in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, on March 23, 2022

Speaking to MailOnline, Meghan’s acid-penned biographer Tom Bower branded the Sussexes ‘the Royal Family’s worst traducers’ and accused the couple of ‘exploiting an old, unwell woman to boost their credibility and coffers’

Harry and Meghan ‘told the Queen she will hug Archie and Lilibet ‘in the near future” in ‘very cordial’ secret meeting… while William and Kate ski in the Alps

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have promised the Queen that she will get to hug her great-grandchildren Archie and Lilibet ‘in the near future’ during a ‘very cordial’ secret meeting on Thursday, according to reports.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a flying visit to Windsor to meet Her Majesty and Prince Charles for a peace offering, before travelling to The Hague today for the start of the Invictus Games in The Netherlands. The couple flew to London from their home in California, where their two children are believed to currently be.

According to The Mirror, senior royal sources described the meeting as ‘very cordial’ and ‘incredibly warm and good natured’.

Harry and Meghan reportedly opened the door to return from the US for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and told her of their plans to visit again so she can spend time with the children.

The brothers’ relationship is understood to be at rock bottom since Harry pressed the nuclear button on his royal life, while Harry and his wife were criticised for skipping Prince Philip’s memorial service in Westminster Abbey last month.

Speaking to MailOnline, Meghan’s acid-penned biographer Tom Bower sensationally branded the Sussexes ‘the Royal Family’s worst traducers’ and accused the couple of ‘exploiting an old, unwell woman to boost their credibility and coffers’.

Netflix is expected to send a camera crew to follow Harry and Meghan when they meet the Ukraine team at the Invictus Games for injured military veterans in The Netherlands for their documentary about the Paralympic-style games.

But critics have accused the royal couple of ‘cashing in’ on the Games by allowing Netflix, with whom they have signed a $100million deal, into private meetings. And royal experts believe the VVIP status given to the couple will allow Netflix to portray the couple in a favourable light, as they deal with the fallout from their bombshell interview with Oprah last year.

Talking about Harry and Meghan’s summit with the Queen and Charles, Mr Bower said yesterday: ‘I have no doubt it was all done for their Netflix documentary. The Queen’s advisers failed to protect her from being exploited by the Royal Family’s worst traducers, while the Sussexes exploited an old, unwell woman to boost their credibility and coffers.’

Mr Jobson told the Mirror: ‘Hopefully, in time the royal brothers too can break bread and end this new war of the Wales’s, which is in danger of turning into one of the fictional soap style dramas Meghan used to star in. For William to do that, however, Harry will have to show that he (and his team of PR image gurus and advisers) can keep their counsel at this early and delicate stage. If not, this promising development would all have been for nothing.’

Other experts suggested that the surprise face-to-face meeting with the Queen, who will be 96 next Thursday and has experienced a series of health problems recently, was an ‘olive branch’ after considerable tension between the Sussexes and royal family.

Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said the visit would have made the Queen very happy despite the couple’s highly publicised criticism of the royals. In their interview with Oprah, they accused an unnamed senior royal of racism.

Harry and his father have spoken only rarely over the past two years and he heavily criticised Charles in last year’s tell-all Oprah interview in California last year for failing to support him and allegedly cutting the duke off financially.

The claims were disputed by supporters of Charles, who say he has been left desolate by his younger son’s rejection. He is also said to be deeply concerned about Harry’s memoirs, due to be published later this year, which he fears will be further used to settle scores.

In and out in 15 tense minutes: RICHARD KAY on the sombre reunion between Meghan, Harry and ‘broken-hearted’ Charles – the first since Megxit and THOSE Oprah allegations – which came at the Queen’s command and may decide Duke and Duchess’s future as Royals

By RICHARD KAY, DAILY MAIL EDITOR AT LARGE

Only the weather was the same. A bright sun shone from a blue sky just as it did on that May morning almost four years ago when Prince Harry took his new bride home through cheering crowds to Windsor Castle in a horse drawn carriage. Everything else had changed.

This time, husband and wife retreated behind the blacked-out windows of a people carrier for the short drive from their former home, Frogmore Cottage, to the castle.

And instead of thousands of well-wishers lining the route there was a rather modest turn out of spectators gathering for the spectacle of the Maundy Thursday service at St George’s chapel.

Ahead of Harry and Meghan were two meetings of sombre gravity that will almost certainly have determined their long-term status within the Royal Family – as future participants or as mere observers.

Harry’s offer of breaking his long flight from Los Angeles to the Hague in Holland, where he is attending his Invictus Games, with a stop-over in Windsor to see his grandmother a year after their last encounter at Prince Philip’s funeral, was warmly welcomed by the Queen. The timing was significant.

To the Queen, Easter’s promise of spiritual renewal and forgiveness – such an important time of year to her – represented an opportunity.

But there were strings attached: ahead of meeting the Queen, Harry would first have to see his father.

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex during Trooping the Colour in London

Just as in the crisis over Megxit when she insisted that the Sussexes’ departure from Britain was overseen by Prince Charles, the Queen was again demonstrating that she had her own red lines.

And since the Prince of Wales was also at Windsor – along with the Duchess of Cornwall – where he was standing in for his mother to distribute Maundy money to community figures, there were no logistical obstacles.

Today all sides agreed that if there is to be a reconciliation between Harry and his family then these meetings were a crucial first step. It is understood that Harry and Meghan met Charles around at around 10am for 15 minutes.

According to a source Camilla joined the meeting midway through.

Charles and Camilla then left the castle together for St George’s. In many ways this was the most important of the two meetings. Harry and his father have been barely speaking in recent months.

He heavily criticised Charles in last year’s toxic interview with Oprah Winfrey for failing to adequately support him and also accused him, wrongly, of cutting him off financially.

And Charles is said to be deeply concerned about Harry’s memoirs, due to be published later this year, which he fears will be used to settle more scores.

Against such a background he was understandably anxious about yesterday’s meeting with Harry.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend a reception ahead of the start of the Invictus Games

As one long-standing friend of his told me: ‘He loves his son and he has been broken-hearted by everything that has taken place, although he fears history repeating itself with Harry just as it did with Princess Diana. But he also wants to keep the door open and keep talking, something he still regrets not doing with Diana.’

After saying their farewells to Charles, Harry and Meghan moved on to the Queen’s private apartment where I am told the atmosphere was a lot less edgy.

Even though she has been both mystified and at times upset by many of Harry’s words and deeds in the past two years, her grandson is something of a favourite.

‘He has always had the ability to make her laugh and she loves that about him,’ says a companion.

‘To this day whenever she hears that Harry is on the phone her eyes light up.’ It can be no coincidence therefore, that for once Harry and Meghan’s social media cheerleaders have been unusually quiet about the content of both meetings.

‘Not leaking details is being seen as a way of getting some trust back into the relationship,’ I am told.

This was no last minute visit and had to take account of the Queen’s recent bout of ill-health, which included contracting Covid in February.

It was also the first time Meghan had seen any of her royal in-laws since March 2020. Intriguingly it involved a fifth member of the Royal Family who was not present at either meeting – Princess Eugenie.

The princess who is temporarily living in her cousin’s Frogmore Cottage with her husband Jack Brooksbank and their son August, is thought to have played an ‘encouraging’ role behind the scenes.

She is Harry’s closest royal ally – she and Jack visited the Sussexes in California earlier this year – and is also close to the Queen.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew, center right, arrive for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip

But it was the absence of one other royal figure that was most keenly felt – Prince William, who is on a family skiing holiday.

The Duke of Cambridge has been his brother’s biggest critic, dismayed by allegations of bullying of royal staff and of claims of racism, and as a result a rift has opened up between them.

He has not seen Harry since the two jointly unveiled a statue of their mother outside Kensington Palace last July and contact since has been sporadic.

‘He doesn’t like talking about Harry,’ says a friend of the duke. ‘He says it gives him a headache.’

The breach between them is an open wound that has still not remotely begun to heal. William is especially uneasy about Harry’s book deal amid fears that both he and his wife Kate will be in the cross-hairs.

‘He understands the need for reconciliation and all that, but at the same time he worries about his father being ‘ambushed’ by Harry.’

The Royal Family attending the annual Commonwealth Service in London on March 9, 2020

It is understood Harry and Meghan arrived in Britain on Wednesday after an overnight British Airways flight from Los Angeles. It is thought they did not bring their children, Archie, two, and ten month old Lilibet – who the Queen has still not met.

They were driven to Frogmore where they spent Wednesday night ahead of yesterday’s meetings.

After his failure to attend his grandfather’s memorial service last month – amid an ongoing legal row with the Home Office over the removal of his police protection – Harry’s offer to visit the Queen was being viewed as an olive branch.

Though it remains to be seen if it was a genuine wish for a rapprochement.

‘This has been a deeply troubling time for the Royal Family and the Queen would dearly love to put the recent bitterness behind her.

‘Would she love to see Harry on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the Platinum Jubilee events? Of course, but she knows there has to be reassurance on all sides for that to happen.’

Not since the days of Diana’s collaboration first with writer Andrew Morton and then with Panorama have the royals been quite so destabilised. But there is a pragmatism inside the Palace where aides recognise that Harry had to swallow some pride in making this week’s visit.

Courtiers will be hoping that, having already resolved one highly damaging family issue involving Prince Andrew, they can similarly settle their differences with Harry and Meghan.

Only time will tell if they are successful and confidence is not particularly high.

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