An op-ed published in the British newspaper The Telegraph suggests that children will not be interested in The Duchess of Sussex’s first book because it centers “soupy stories about love and kindness.”
The Bench, which will be published in June, is inspired by Prince Harry’s relationship with his son Archie.
Ella Whelan writes that: “They [children] certainly don’t like to be lectured—if there is a moral to the story, every good writer from Aesop to Road Dahl knows you’ve got to disguise it with a bit of fun.”
The story began life as a Father’s Day poem and is illustrated by acclaimed artist Christian Robinson.
“And here from our window I’ll have tears of great joy… Looking out at My Love and our beautiful boy,” read one excerpt from the book.
Whelan writes that while parents may be interested in buying a celebrity-authored book for their kids, the kids themselves may not enjoy the content.
“From the preview, it looks like Meghan’s entry into children’s literature has more to do with her drive to nurture her and Harry’s new role as activist celebrities than a desire to connect with children,” Whelan writes.
She also takes issue with the somewhat military-focused aspects of The Bench, such as the illustration of Prince Harry returning home in a soldier’s uniform.
“Perhaps it’s a cultural thing, but if my kids have to read about soldiers, I’d prefer Hans Christian Andersen’s tin version rather than the woke posturing of a former royal,” she says.
Another of Meghan’s fiercest critics, Piers Morgan, has also shown contempt for the book, labeling it “beyond parody.”
“Lest we forget, Ms. Markle has ruthlessly disowned her father Thomas and refuses to have anything to do with him despite the fact they now live just 70 miles from each other,” the former Good Morning Britain host wrote in his Daily Mail online column.
“She is also reported to have disowned every other Markle, none of whom were invited to her wedding. This doesn’t seem like someone overly keen to operate ‘an inclusive lens’ to me. In fact, it seems a singularly EX-clusive lens.”
He continued: “She also spray-gunned Thomas in her lie-packed Oprah whine-a-thon in a manner that was more ‘ice, rage and irritation’ than ‘warmth, joy and comfort.’”
“Notwithstanding Ms Markle’s seemingly unlimited thirst for committing attention-seeking acts of gargantuan hypocrisy, this seemed beyond parody. But it was real.”
