Meghan dedicates book to ‘the man and the boy who make my heart go pump-pump’

MEGHAN MARKLE has dedicated her new children’s book to Prince Harry and son Archie, saying they make her heart go ‘pump-pump.’

The touching inscription in the book, reproduced from a hand-written note in the Duchess of Sussex’s distinctive calligraphy script, reads: ‘For the man and the boy who make my heart go pump-pump.’

The £12.99 book The Bench is published on Tuesday but copies are already on sale.

Meghan, 39, has said the 34-page illustrated story was inspired by a poem she wrote for her husband on Father’s Day the month after Archie was born and features ‘a diverse group of fathers and sons’.

There are several drawings of Harry and Archie, along with their two dogs and rescue chickens.

Bestselling Californian artist Christian Robinson, who was brought up by his grandmother in a one- bedroom flat, drew the images which include a red-headed soldier holding his son aloft as a woman watches crying from a window, likely a reference to 36-year-old Prince Harry’s military service.

Underneath it says: ‘And here in the window I’ll have tears of great joy; Looking out at My Love and our beautiful boy.’

Heavily pregnant Meghan, who is due to give birth any day to the couple’s second child, a daughter, will narrate the accompanying audio book.

Reports claim she could have received as much as £500,000 as an

‘My hope is it resonates with every family’

advance for the book but stands to earn millions more if, as expected, it becomes a bestseller.

Meghan said: ‘The Bench started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born. That poem became this story.

‘ Christian layered in beautiful and ethereal watercolour illustrations that capture the warmth, joy, and comfort of the relationship between fathers and sons from all walks of life. ‘This representation was particularly important to me, and Christian and I worked closely to depict this special bond through an inclusive lens.

‘ My hope i s that The Bench resonates with every family, no matter the make-up, as much as it does with mine.’

The book’s cover describes the Duchess as ‘wife, mother, feminist and activist,’ adding that through the work of their charity, the Archewell Foundation, ‘she and her husband are committed to activating compassion in communities across the world’.

I t concludes: ‘ She currently resides i n California with her family, two dogs and a growing flock of rescue chickens.’

Photographer Gray Malin, a friend of the Duchess, posted images of the book to his 35,400 Instagram followers on Friday after receiving an advance copy with a handwritten note: ‘From one parent to another – all my love from my family to yours. As ever, Meghan.’

He revealed a previously unseen illustration of Prince Harry and baby Archie walking hand-in-hand together. The Mail on Sunday bought a copy from a bookshop in Los Angeles.

Speculation has been rife on social media that the Duchess may have already given birth to her second child. One fan wrote: ‘ With the new book and Father’s Day coming up [June 20], wouldn’t it be neat if she’s already had the baby and is waiting to announce it when the book comes out?’