Meghan Markle announces the publication of a children’s book. On the Internet, users accuse the Duchess of plagiarism.
New York / London – Duchess Meghan has written a children’s book about relationships between fathers and sons. But there are allegations against the 39-year-old: Has Meghan Markle just copied another book?
“The Bench” tells of the close bond between father and son – seen through the eyes of a mother, announced the publisher Penguin Random House on Tuesday (May 4th, 2021) in New York. Meghan was inspired by her husband, Prince Harry (36), and son Archie, who will be two years old on Thursday (May 6th, 2021), to the story. The story reminds us of the many ways love can take shape and express itself in a modern family. According to the publisher, Meghan will also record an audio book.
Meghan Markle publishes children’s book – but there is criticism
“‘The Bench’ began as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born,” Meghan said, according to the statement. “This poem then became this story.” It is about the warmth, joy and comfort of a father-son relationship. “The Bench”, which is due to appear on June 8th, was illustrated by Christian Robinson.
Some critics accuse Meghan Markle of being too inspired by the book “The Boy on the Bench” published in 2018 by the author Corrinne Averiss and the illustrator Gabriel Alborozo. Shortly after the announcement of the Markle book, voices increased in social networks that the work was just a plagiarism of the previously published story.
Author jumps to Meghan Markle’s side
One person wrote on Twitter: “Before you run off and waste money on Harry’s first wife’s book, read ‘The Boy on the Bench’ by Corrinne Averiss and Gabriel Alborozo.” Another user tweeted: “I hope the author, who ripped them off will sue them. ”Reason for the excitement: Both books have a colorful cover, with a bench, birds and surrounding trees. Is that enough to substantiate the plagiarism allegations against Duchess Meghan?
In any case, Averiss jumped Meghan Markle aside. She read an excerpt and the description of the Duchess’s book – her conclusion: “I don’t see any similarities,” she said on Twitter.
Meghan and Harry are causing a stir in the USA
Meghan and Harry gave up their royal duties a good year ago and have lived with Archie in the United States since then. They are expecting their second child. The couple is very active: The two have signed contracts with streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify. At the beginning of March, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made international headlines with an interview with US star presenter Oprah Winfrey, in which, among other things, they raised allegations of racism against the royal family. (Tim Vincent Dicke with dpa)
List of rubric lists: © Ben Birchall / dpa
