Duchess of Sussex’s book tops New York Times bestseller list

The Duchess of Sussex's children’s book, The Bench, has topped a New York Times Bestseller list as she said it depicts a “softer” side to masculinity.

The Duchess’s literary debut, published last week, is inspired by the relationship between Prince Harry and their two-year-old son, Archie.

It evolved from a poem the Duchess wrote for her husband on his first Father's Day.

A statement published on the Duke and Duchess's Archewell website on Thursday revealed that the book had reached number one on The New York Times Bestseller list for children’s picture books, offering congratulations to everyone involved in the project.

The Duchess suggested that the book offered a different model of the world.

“While this poem began as a love letter to my husband and son, I’m encouraged to see that its universal themes of love, representation and inclusivity are resonating with communities everywhere,” she said.

“In many ways, pursuing a more compassionate and equitable world begins with these core values.

“Equally, to depict another side of masculinity — one grounded in connection, emotion, and softness — is to model a world that so many would like to see for their sons and daughters alike. Thank you for supporting me in this special project.”

The Bench, which the Duchess dedicated to "the man and the boy who make my heart go pump-pump,” depicts men from a range of backgrounds, pictured with their sons on a variety of benches in parks and gardens.

The loving fathers look on as the boys variously ride their bikes, look at stars, brandish football trophies, enjoy picnics, laugh and cry.

One scene shows both father and son doing ballet dressed in tutus, as the father is told to "listen" and "be his supporter."

Despite significant publicity, it was not an immediate hit in the UK and does not currently feature in Amazon’s top 100 bestselling books or children’s books.

The book received mixed reviews, with some hailing it a "beautiful story, beautifully written" while others branded it an "uninspiring vanity project" that would not appeal to children.

Rather than a story, the book features a series of imperatives written as an extended poem, which the Telegraph's critic branded "grammar-defying" and "badly rhyming".

It opens with the line: "This is your bench, where life will begin, for you and our son, our baby, our kin."

The book features illustrations by award-winning artist Christian Robinson, with the Duchess narrating the audiobook.

The first picture features a bearded ginger father cradling a smiling baby on a bench under a tree.

The final illustration features a ginger-haired man helping a young boy feed chickens while a dark-haired woman stands in a garden cradling a baby, widely assumed to be Meghan and her newborn daughter.

The scene is heavily influenced by the new life the Duke and Duchess have forged in Montecito, California.

As well as the chickens - which appeared during the broadcast of the couple's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March - the couple’s two dogs also feature.

The accompanying passage reads: "Right there on your bench, the place you'll call home... With daddy and son... Where you'll never be 'lone."