Meghan Markle used to be an actress. Then she married a prince and became a member of the royal family. While her life may sound like a fairytale, if you look closely at fairytales, there is usually a lot of drama, and drama has certainly ensued.

Markle and her prince, Prince Harry, renounced their roles as senior members of the royal family and relocated to California where they have found multiple projects to keep them busy and to provide for themselves without help from the royal family. We’re talking deals with companies including Netflix and Spotify.

Another project Markle embarked on was writing a children’s book which she titled “The Bench.” This book was released in 2021, but even before it was for sale, it received criticism, not for the subject matter or Markle’s writing ability but for what seemed to many like blatant plagarism.

One Twitter user told potential readers to read “The Boy on the Bench” by Corrinne Averiss and Gabriel Alborozo and claimed that Markle’s book was a complete rip off. 

Before you run out and waste money on the book by Harry’s wife, read The Boy on the Bench by Corrinne Averiss and Gabriel AlborozoThe original

— Wil iWill (@Norms_Nonsense) May 5, 2021

Emma Kaye Wootton, an online critic, shared her belief that Markle owns “The Boy on the Bench” and copied it intentionally. She wrote, “I’ll wager a bet that Corrinne’s book is in Archie’s collection. That’s where her idea came from. I don’t believe that this is all her own thinking or reflects her idyllic life whatsoever.”

While critics jumped to the conclusion that Markle’s book was a copycat publication, Markle didn’t have to defend herself. Corrinne Averiss, the author of “The Boy on the Bench,” actually jumped to her defense instead. Averiss tweeted, “Reading the description and published excerpt of the Duchess’s new book, this is not the same story or the same theme as ‘The Boy on the Bench.’ I don’t see any similarities.”

According to Markle, her book, “The Bench” started as a poem she was writing for her husband for Father’s Day. The story is about the relationship between a father and son as seen through the eyes of the mother. Meanwhile, “The Boy on the Bench” is about a boy named Tom who sits on a park bench with his dad, not sure how to join the kids playing on the playground. During the story he learns to concur his fears.

Does it surprise you that many people would accuse Markle of plagiarism? Do you think Markle’s book sounds like a rip off of Averiss’s book? Does it surprise you that Averiss would defend Markle?