Last week, we heard the odd news that a signed copy of the Duchess of Sussex’s children’s book, The Bench, was on sale on eBay. Intriguingly, the inscription was clearly to Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, as in this was a gift sent to them directly by Meghan, and Meghan penned a lovely note on it. Eugenie and Jack sublet Frogmore Cottage circa 2020-2023, and one theory is that the copy possibly got let behind as Eugenie & Jack were moving houses in 2022 or 2023. Another theory is that the copy was stolen, or that Eugenie might have sold it to a book seller for cash.

What we know, for sure, is that the eBay bookseller was Drive Easy’s Signed Books, owned by Nicholas Joseph Greenwood, and the bookseller yanked the listing last Friday. No one knows if the listing was yanked due to a sale or some kind of complaint or lawyer’s call. The original eBay listing claimed: “Provenance – and proof thereof – will be disclosed to the genuine buyer after payment in full and confirmed delivery.” So… the bookseller claimed to have authentication or provenance? Interesting. So, this has left people with some questions about whether Eugenie is still close to Prince Harry and Meghan, whether Eugenie was the one to sell the book and what exactly happened here. According to Rob Shuter, Eugenie doesn’t even know how the book ended up on eBay, but she apologized to Meghan.

Princess Eugenie personally contacted Meghan Markle after a copy of Meghan’s 2021 children’s book, The Bench — personally gifted to Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank — mysteriously appeared on eBay with a staggering £20,000 asking price, sources tell Naughty But Nice.

“Eugenie called Meghan herself. She was horrified the book had somehow ended up for sale and made it absolutely clear she would never knowingly sell a personal gift from Meghan,” a source tells Naughty But Nice.

The Bench is a children’s picture book exploring the bond between fathers and sons through a mother’s eyes. Meghan has said it began as a poem she wrote for Prince Harry on his first Father’s Day after the birth of their son, Archie. The first-edition copy given to Eugenie and Jack contains a handwritten inscription addressed to “Eug & Jack,” celebrating the father-son bond and referencing Frogmore Cottage.

So how did something so personal end up online? Sources point out that Eugenie and Jack have moved and divided their time between different homes over the years, raising the possibility the book was misplaced, stored or passed along without their knowledge.

“Eugenie genuinely doesn’t know how it left her possession,” an insider tells Naughty But Nice. “What mattered to her was making sure Meghan knew this wasn’t some deliberate snub.”

The eBay listing has since disappeared.

“Meghan accepted the explanation,” the source adds. “But nobody can explain how the book got there.”

And that remains the mystery.

[From Rob Shuter’s Substack]

That’s the part I’d like to know as well – how in the world did this end up in a random bookseller’s hands? If Eugenie was the one to sell it, I feel like she would have the kind of contacts to ensure a private sale, something that wouldn’t end up on eBay. I’m leaning towards “this copy was stolen” or “it was misplaced in a move, and picked up by some staff member or maybe even Sarah Ferguson.” Like… I just don’t believe that Eugenie would sell this herself, in this way. This whole thing is so low-class.

PS… Remember those random reports earlier this year that some work was being done on Frogmore Cottage, despite the fact that Frogmore had been (officially) sitting empty for three years? I wonder if someone “found” that copy of The Bench while there were workmen over there.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, screencaps courtesy of Archewell.