Victoria Ward
London: A signed copy of the Duchess of Sussex’s children’s book, inscribed to Princess Eugenie, has appeared for sale on eBay.
The hardback copy of The Bench, listed for sale for £20,000 ($38,000), features a handwritten note seemingly in Meghan’s hand, dated 2021 – two years after the birth of her son, Archie.
It was listed by Drive Easy’s Signed Books, owned by Nicholas Joseph Greenwood, a specialist bookseller, who has sold more than 2000 items and has a 100 per cent positive feedback rating.
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.”
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, her husband, temporarily moved into Frogmore Cottage in Windsor after Meghan and Harry relocated to the US. Their elder son, August, was born in February 2021.
The listing had attracted more than 20,000 views by Friday (UK time), before it was either sold or withdrawn from sale.
A spokesman for Meghan declined to comment on the sale or the book’s authenticity.
The listing on eBay noted that the ink from the inscription had “gone through to the previous page” but described it as “an absolute masterpiece of modern royal history”.
It added: “Written in the Duchess’s highly celebrated, fluid signature calligraphy style, the personal message links the Sussexes directly to the heart of the British Royal family.
“Authentic intimate gifts sent from one member of the Royal family directly to another are exceptionally rare to find on the open market. This book is thus a pinnacle piece for any serious royal memorabilia collector, autograph hunter, or contemporary archivist.”
Princess Eugenie, who is Prince Harry’s cousin, is one of the few members of the Royal family known to have stayed close to the Sussexes since they stepped away from public duties. The two couples are now neighbours, each owning beachfront properties in Portugal.
Harry and Meghan Markle, his then girlfriend, were with Princess Eugenie and her husband-to-be in Toronto when the news of their relationship became public knowledge in October 2016.
The four dressed up for Halloween to enjoy “one final fun night out” before their relationship was revealed to the world.
In February 2022, Harry was joined by Princess Eugenie at the Super Bowl in California. She was the only member of the Royal family to appear in new footage in the duke and duchess’s Netflix documentary, released in Dec 2022, after visiting the couple in Montecito, California.
Greenwood did not respond to a query about how or where he had sourced the book.
Telegraph, London
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