Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, did not see diverse characters in the books growing up. So he hopes ‘The Bench’ will change that.

(CNN) – Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, said she hopes “any family” will be represented in the pages of her children’s book, “The Bench,” in her first interview since speaking with Oprah Winfrey in March.

The Duchess said that “growing up, I remember a lot what it felt like not to see yourself represented” (in the books), she said in an interview with Samantha Balaban of National Public Radio (NPR).

“So hopefully any child or family can open this book and see themselves in it, whether it’s spectacled or freckled or a different body shape or a different ethnicity or religion,” Meghan said.

While the book begins and ends with depictions of Meghan’s family, there is a wide range of parents and children depicted throughout history.

“This story I wrote for my husband and son could be yours too,” she told him in the “Picture This” children’s book series on the US public radio network.

Earlier this year, Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, started a heated conversation about racism, the British tabloid press and the royal family after their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Quiet moments

Meghan’s book was published last month. It is inspired by Prince Harry and his son Archie Harrison, and deals with the relationships between parents and children, depicted in quiet moments spent on the benches.

Meghan said that “especially in the last year”, in the context of a global pandemic, “many of us realized how much is happening in the quiet.”

“So in this story, I’m looking at this love between my husband and our son and imagining what it will be like as they share more moments as our son grows up,” she said.

“From scraping a knee to having her heart broken, whatever it is they always reboot on this bench and have this moment to join in,” added Meghan.

The book grew out of a poem and a bench that Meghan gave Harry for his first Father’s Day. The interview, which will air on Sunday, marks the couple’s second Father’s Day.

This happened before the birth of their second daughter, Lilibet Diana, who was born in early June.

His daughter was named after her great-grandmother, the queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her late grandmother, Princess Diana.

Meghan said award-winning illustrator Christian Robinson included small details in the book that her son Archie would capture, and subtle nods to the late Princess Diana.

“I think you can find sweet little moments that we’ve hidden there, from my favorite flower, even my husband’s mom’s favorite flower, forget-me-not,” Meghan said.

“We wanted to make sure those were included there. There are many, many special details and love in this book, ”he added.

Harry and Meghan tied the knot in a lavish wedding at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, England, three years ago.

Last year they walked away from their roles as active royals, renouncing their royal titles and now live in Santa Barbara, California.