Meghan Markle’s children’s book The Bench is panned by critics, suffers poor sales

Meghan Markle’s new book has been panned by critics, failing to land on Amazon’s bestsellers list despite Kate Middleton achieving the feat.

Meghan Markle’s children’s book is already heading for the bargain bins as sales flopped and it was panned by critics.

The Bench failed to make Amazon’s top 200 bestsellers list on its first day yesterday and limped in at a modest No60 in the children’s books chart.

Its weak sales came despite $5.50 being knocked off the $24 cover price on the website.

Within hours of its release, copies had “buy one get one half price” stickers slapped on them in WH Smith in Newcastle, The Sun reports.

And $5.50 was knocked off the asking price at Waterstones in Piccadilly, central London.

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Meghan Markle’s book The Bench was released yesterday. Picture: BEN STANSALL/POOL/AFP

It comes after Meghan’s sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge’s photography book, Hold Still, made the number two spot on Amazon on its first day last month.

The Duchess of Sussex, 39, said the 34-page book was based on a poem she had written for husband Prince Harry for Father’s Day.

She dedicated it to him and son Archie, calling them: “The man and boy who make my heart go pump-pump.”

The Times’s arts editor Alex O’Connell said: “The story is so lacking in action and jeopardy you half wonder if the writing job was delegated to a piece of furniture.”

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Children's book 'The Bench' by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in a bookshop in London. Picture: Tolga Akmen/AFP

Other reviewers online dismissed it as a vanity project which should have been kept within the family.

It comes after the birth of Meghan and Harry’s second child, Lilibet Diana, on Friday in Santa Barbara, California.

A page from Meghan’s book shows the Duchess cradling her newborn daughter as she stands in a vegetable patch, while her husband Harry is seen feeding chickens with their two-year-old son Archie.

Their dogs, Pula and Guy, are also illustrated.

The book, illustrated by US illustrator Christian Robinson, features a diverse group of fathers and their growing boys, connecting as they enjoy life’s simple pleasures.

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Meghan Markle wrote The Bench after she was inspired by the relationship between Prince Harry and their son, Archie. Picture: HENK KRUGER/POOL/AFP

It tells the story of the eternal bond between a father and son, witnessed in the eyes of a mother.

The former Suits actress announced her venture into writing last month, with reports suggesting she may have been paid up to $900,000 as an advance payment.