It’s storytime with Meghan – and today’s book is by... Meghan!

(and who’s that large pupil with red hair sitting in the second row?)

AS a couple they rarely miss a chance to give a good lecture – so it was no surprise that Meghan slotted straight into the role of teacher yesterday.

Her lesson to the seven-year-olds was to help promote literacy, and luckily the duchess had just the tome to guide her class... a copy of her own book.

One of the pupils sitting cross-legged at her feet was significantly taller than the rest of his classmates. Even concealed by a face mask, the gingery beard was a dead giveaway.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited a school in New York’s Harlem which was formerly designated ‘persistently dangerous’ because of its number of violent incidents – but has since turned around its reputation.

Meghan, 40, perched on a cubeshaped stool in the playground as she read aloud from her picture book The Bench, which was published in June.

She has said the story is based on a poem she wrote for Harry on Father’s Day in 2019, a month after son Archie was born, and it involves ‘warmth, joy and comfort’ told ‘through an inclusive lens’.

Fellow author Harry, 37 – who is writing an ‘intimate and heartfelt’ memoir due to be published next year – listened proudly.

Meghan wore a £4,000 Loro Piana red cashmere coat and matching £1,200 trousers. Her shoes are thought to be £480 Manolo Blahnik red suede pointed-toe pumps. She accessorised with more than £200,000 of jewellery for the trip to the government-funded school, where 94 per cent of pupils are reportedly eligible for free meals.

Harry dressed down in a casual blue top and pale chinos on day two of their three-day visit to New York. The couple, who quit as working royals more than 18 months ago, are on their first major public outing since moving to California last year. Omid Scobie, co-author of biography Finding Freedom, tweeted that the visit was ‘to highlight community issues and promote early literacy’.

A US school is classified as persistently dangerous if it records 60 or more violent incidents in a year, but officials said in 2016 that the Mahalia Jackson school had improved through boosting morale and behaviour programmes.

Harry and Meghan arrived in Harlem from their luxury hotel in Manhattan in their fleet of SUVs.

They also paid a visit to nearby Melba’s restaurant where they chose from a ‘soul food’ menu which includes southern-fried chicken wings with waffles.

The Sussexes agreed to donate £18,000 to the restaurant, which has launched a fund to provide financial relief to employees.

The owner said it was ‘an honour’ to have them eat there.