A personally inscribed copy of Meghan Markle’s children’s book The Bench, apparently dedicated to Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, has seemingly surfaced on eBay.
The first edition, which carries a price tag of almost £20,000, was presented as a gift to Prince Harry’s cousin and her partner following the arrival of their firstborn, August, the seller, Drive Easy’s Signed Books, claims.
It features what appears to be a warm handwritten message from the Duchess of Sussex.
Dated 2021, the message coincides with the year Eugenie and Jack welcomed their son August, who was born in February of that year.
The inscription reads: “Dear Eug & Jack, Celebrating the special bond between father and son. I wrote this poem at Frogmore – I hope that Eug, you witness the same love there with your guys. All love, Meghan.”
The reference to Frogmore Cottage is particularly notable. After the Sussexes departed for the United States, Eugenie and Jack took up residence at the Windsor estate property in late 2020.
The listing is operated by Drive Easy’s Signed Books, run by Nicholas Greenwood, a London-based dealer.
His online shop has sold more than 2,300 items and holds a perfect, 100 per cent customer satisfaction record.
Mr Greenwood has not revealed how such a deeply personal royal gift came into his hands.
A personally inscribed copy of Meghan Markle’s children’s book The Bench, apparently dedicated to Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, has seemingly surfaced on eBay
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EBAY: DRIVE EASY’S SIGNED BOOKS
The inscription reads: ‘Dear Eug & Jack, Celebrating the special bond between father and son. I wrote this poem at Frogmore – I hope that Eug, you witness the same love there with your guys. All love, Meghan’
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EBAY: DRIVE EASY’S SIGNED BOOKS
No certificate of authenticity accompanies the book, though the seller maintains the handwriting is “undeniably” Meghan’s.
Ten per cent of the proceeds is earmarked for a charitable organisation that aids disadvantaged children’s education in Thailand.
GB News has approached both Princess Eugenie and the Duchess of Sussex for comment.
The item’s description says it is a “completely unique, historically significant presentation copy” that has been “inscribed, dated and signed by Meghan”.
The Bench was published on June 8, 2021, through Random House Children’s Books, with Meghan reportedly having secured a £500,000 advance two years prior
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YOUTUBE: @BRIGHTLY STORYTIME
Mr Greenwood states the book shows signs of having been read, though not extensively, with only minimal wear to its cover and pages. The ink from the message, he admits, has bled through to the previous page.
The seller says the book is a “pinnacle piece” for serious collectors of royal memorabilia, autograph enthusiasts, and contemporary archivists, noting that authentic personal gifts exchanged between members of the Royal Family are exceptionally scarce.
For those unwilling to part with the whopping £19,999 in a single transaction, a PayPal instalment plan is available, spreading the cost across 24 monthly payments of £943.29.
Standard copies of the book remain available online for roughly £2, making the gulf between the retail price and this particular listing all the more striking.
The Bench was published on June 8, 2021, through Random House Children’s Books, with Meghan reportedly having secured a £500,000 advance two years prior.
The book, which examines the father-son relationship as observed through a mother’s perspective, proved a commercial disappointment. It shifted just 3,212 copies during its opening week, falling short of the UK Official Top 50 chart.
By some estimates, total sales amounted to fewer than 10,000 copies – a stark contrast to the blockbuster reception afforded to Prince Harry’s memoir Spare, which sold more than 3.2 million copies worldwide in its first week, according to the publisher, Penguin Random House.
The friendship between Meghan and Eugenie stretches back to the earliest days of the duchess’s romance with Harry. The two couples are understood to have regularly enjoyed double dates, with Eugenie and Jack even travelling to Toronto to visit while Meghan was filming the legal drama Suits.
The families have also reportedly spent time together at their respective properties in Portugal, where both couples are believed to own homes in the same resort.
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