Did Eugenie Throw Out Meghan's Gift? €23,500 eBay Listing Confuses Royal Watchers

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Did Eugenie Throw Out Meghan's Gift? €23,500 eBay Listing Confuses Royal Watchers.

You read that right: For around €23,500, a copy of Duchess Meghan's children's book "The Bench," allegedly signed by her own hand, was listed on eBay. According to Promiflash, the dedication is said to be addressed to Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank — dated to 2021, when the couple was still living at Frogmore Cottage. Sounds bizarre? It is. Because what a supposedly private gift between two sisters-in-law is doing on a London online marketplace raises more than a few questions.

According to Promiflash, the listing came from the London dealer "Drive Easy's Signed Books". The offer is no longer findable, however. Whether the book was actually sold, whether it was withdrawn, or whether it disappeared from the platform for another reason — at this point, one can only speculate. Bunte also picked up the story. Both reports draw, among other things, on an article from The Daily Beast.

So far, one thing is clear: neither the authenticity of the book nor that of the signature has been confirmed independently. By royal standards, this is an unusual turn — signed copies from the innermost circle of the royal family are normally considered private pieces, not merchandise. We take a look at what is known about the case so far and where the open questions lie.

What do we know about the alleged gift?

The children's book "The Bench" was published in 2021 and was Meghan's first published work as an author. Using a park bench — as a symbol of the father-son relationship between Prince Harry and their son Archie — it tells a story of love and family. If the dedication does indeed date to 2021, the timing would fit: at the time, Eugenie and Jack were living at Frogmore Cottage, in immediate proximity to Harry and Meghan on the Windsor estate.

Who listed the book?

According to Promiflash, the seller was the London dealer "Drive Easy's Signed Books", a vendor specializing in signed books and autographs. The starting price of around €23,500 — more than US$26,000 according to Promiflash — sits at the upper end of what signed editions of prominent figures typically fetch. In the royal context, however, it remains an exceptionally high price.

Why is this story so sensitive?

Speculation ranges from "Eugenie no longer wanted the book" to "collectors cashed in on the piece" to doubts about the authenticity of the signature. Without independent verification — by a recognized auction house or a forensic handwriting expert, for instance — it is uncertain whether the dedication is genuinely from Meghan's hand. Forgeries are not uncommon in the collectors' market for signed books.

What has happened since the listing?

The listing has since disappeared. There could be several reasons: a sale, a withdrawal by the vendor, a deletion due to authenticity concerns, or platform intervention. Promiflash and Bunte both note that it is unclear what exactly happened. So far, neither Buckingham Palace nor a representative of Princess Eugenie or of Harry and Meghan has publicly commented on the listing.

Our conclusion

As things stand, you have a puzzling eBay listing, a London specialist dealer, and a royal dedication whose authenticity is unconfirmed. As long as no independent source verifies the signature, the story remains a curious anecdote with many question marks — nothing more. What you can take away from this: When in doubt, with royals as on eBay — check first, marvel second.