Meghan Markle recently shared her latest reading choice, a poetry book centered on the theme of motherhood, which she received as a thoughtful gift from a fellow “mom friend.” This revelation has brought a wave of excitement to the book’s author, Jessica Urlichs, who expressed her surprise and delight over the endorsement by the Duchess of Sussex.
In a brief Instagram video posted on Monday, Meghan was seen leafing through the pages of “The Bloom Because of You,” a collection by the New Zealand poet. The book is praised for its heartfelt reflections on the profound journey of mothering and its significance.
Against the serene backdrop of a sunny spring day in Montecito, California, Meghan appeared to be enjoying some peaceful moments with the book, noting in a whisper that it was “so good.” The video subtly highlighted Meghan’s engagement with the content, as she had marked certain passages, including a poem titled “Vows I Didn’t Write,” which touches on the theme of marriage.
Jessica Urlichs, now basking in the unexpected attention, described her reaction to Meghan’s public praise as one of sheer “shock.” The endorsement not only brings attention to the beauty of Urlichs’ work but also highlights the universal experiences shared by mothers around the world.
In the video, Meghan appeared to be relaxing with Jessica’s book on a sunny spring day in Montecito, California, as she whispered it was ‘so good’.
The clip showed Meghan had folded down the edges of certain pages in Jessica’s book, including one with the poem ‘Vows I Didn’t Write’ about marriage.
After Meghan’s social media shoutout, Jessica said she was ‘honoured beyond words’ by the Duchess’s praise in an Instagram Reel.
Meghan left a comment under Jessica’s post as she revealed her ‘mom friend, Christina shared it with me’ and added The Bloom Because of You is her ‘current bedside book’.
‘From one mama to another – thank you,’ Meghan wrote.
Meghan Markle has revealed she’s reading a poetry book about motherhood after receiving it as a gift from her ‘mom friend’. She is seen here with her son Prince Archie
Author Jessica Urlichs has since reacted to the 44-year-old’s endorsement of her book The Bloom Because of You with ‘shock’
Jessica’s new book was published on March 3 and the author said she couldn’t believe it was ‘touching so many mums around the world’ after Meghan’s glowing review.
‘Look who just shared my book,’ Jessica wrote over a video of her covering her mouth.
She captioned the post: ‘When Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, shares your book, you go into shock, you share, and you celebrate. I’m so honoured beyond words. I love how this book is touching so many mums around the world. What a huge moment x’
Meghan previously revealed she was struggling to find the time to read.
During an interview on The Circuit with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang last August, Meghan stopped by the Godmothers bookstore in Montecito.
Walking through the space, Meghan admitted she hadn’t gotten stuck into a book she enjoys in a ‘long time.’
She claimed her main priority at the moment was ‘kids’ books and parenting books’.
The interview was aired ahead of the release of season two of Meghan’s Netflix show, which has since been cancelled by the streamer.
The Christmas special attracted scathing reviews from critics, who accused Meghan of being ‘out of touch’ in the ‘tectonically tacky’ show.
In the wake of Netflix axing the cookery show, Meghan’s lifestyle brand As Ever has also split from the California-based media giant.
The Duchess of Sussex announced a partnership with the company a year ago when it commissioned a new season of her show, With Love, Meghan.
The deal gave Netflix a stake As Ever, which includes her jam, rosé wine and flower sprinkles.
Insiders claim Meghan thought Netflix was being too ‘cautious’ and wants to ‘go global’, believing her brand can ‘stand on its own’.
Meanwhile, insiders at Netflix were ‘not happy’ with the brand because customers showed ‘no appetite’ for it.
The Netflix source told the Daily Mail that there has been some consternation at their HQ in Sunset Boulevard over claims Meghan felt they had been ‘too cautious’ with her As Ever brand – and had held her back.
‘Netflix were not happy’, the Daily Mail’s insider said today.
The source claimed that Netflix had considered how they could sell As Ever products in their two new bricks and mortar stores in Philadelphia and Dallas in the US – off the back of her TV show With Love, Meghan.
But it never happened.
‘They were not happy with the fact that no one really cared about the brand – so when they were looking to create As Ever areas in Netflix House there was no appetite for it’, the source claimed.
‘It just didn’t fit with Squid Game or Stranger Things or Bridgerton like they had hoped.’
The Bloom Because of You is described as a collection of poems that is ‘a testament to the significance of mothering’
Commenting on the end of the partnership deal, a spokesperson for As Ever said: ‘We have experienced meaningful and rapid growth and As ever is now ready to stand on its own.’
A statement from Netflix read: ‘Meghan’s passion for elevating everyday moments in beautiful yet simple ways inspired the creation of the As ever brand, and we are glad to have played a role in bringing that vision to life.
‘As it was always intended, Meghan will continue growing the brand and take it into its next chapter independently.’
On Monday, Meghan shared a series of Instagram Stories to offer a glimpse into her family’s spring preparations, including a rare snippet of her daughter Lilibet’s flowing red hair.
She could be seen preparing a floral arrangement in one video, as her husband, Prince Harry, said it looked ‘beautiful’ and called Meghan a ‘babe’.
In one clip – seemingly filmed by the Duke of Sussex – Meghan put together dusky pink and white roses together in a vase, which Harry called ‘beautiful’.
‘So brilliant, babe,’ he added.
In another video, the Duchess picked at wisteria, while other snippets showed the family’s chickens roaming around with their four-year-old daughter.
Last week, Meghan popped up to surprise young patients at a Los Angeles hospital.
The Duchess put on a mask as she joined children for painting and craft activities.
Meghan, who also spent time with young patients in their rooms, had not promoted the event herself – it was Children’s Hospital Los Angeles who took to their Instagram to share images of Meghan on the wards.
