Newly surfaced video reveals how OPRAH could have gifted baby Archie his birthday books

Meghan Markle’s close friend Oprah Winfrey has been revealed as the gift-giver behind the children’s story read to Archie in his birthday video yesterday. 

Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, released a video showing the duchess reading Duck! Rabbit! to Archie yesterday for Save the Children’s Save With Stories campaign, with the storybook featuring an Archie’s Book Club sticker clearly on the cover. 

Now a resurfaced video has revealed how the media mogul often gifts her friend’s children with a set of ‘100 essential stories’ featuring the personalised stickers. 

Speaking on The Late, Late Show with Stephen Colbert in March 2018, Mindy Kaling revealed the story how Oprah had given her and her daughter 100 of the ‘essential children’s books’ and described how each book featuring a little ‘Katherine’s Book Club’ sticker. 

Oprah, 66, has grown close with both Prince Harry , 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, over the past few years, as well as being friends with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland.

The media mogul has also been a vocal supporter of Save the Children in the past,  with the Oprah Winfrey Foundation donating $1.5 million to rebuild the Matau Primary School in Zimbabwe in 2011.

Meghan Markle’s, 38, close friend Oprah Winfrey, 66, is believed to have gifted little Archie a huge collection of children’s books, including the Duck! Rabbit! story the Duchess read in the family video released yesterday 

Appearing on the Stephen Colbert show in March 2018, Mindy revealed how the media mogul had given her a huge collection of books shortly after the birth of her daughter.

Speaking in the resurfaced clip, the actress, who starred in A Wrinkle in Time with the media mogul, explained: ‘Oprah’s present to me was a hand-carved bookcase packed with 100 of the essential children’s books of all literature.

‘Each book was inscribed with a little sticker saying ‘Katherine’s Book Club’ like Oprah’s book club.

‘The book shelf was carved in the shape of like an old-timely castle.’  

Media mogul Oprah has grown close to both Meghan and Prince Harry, 35, and attended their wedding in May 2018 (pictured)

Media mogul Oprah has grown close to both Meghan and Prince Harry, 35, and attended their wedding in May 2018 (pictured) 

Oprah previously told Access Hollywood she had a ‘standard gift’ for expectant parents, revealing: ‘Honey, I have a standard gift that I do for people that I really care about. I don’t know the baby’s name or the baby’s gender, but this baby will have enough books to last a lifetime!’ 

The video of Meghan and baby Archie, filmed by Prince Harry, was posted yesterday to mark his first birthday for a Save the Children campaign. The family celebrated the occasion at their new California home.

While Oprah is not a trustee of the charity, she has been heavily involved with the organisation in the past.

As well as the $1.5 million donation to a school in Africa, the media mogul presented Disney boss Bob Iger with the organisation’s Centennial Award at the Save the Children’s West Coast Centennial Celebration: Once in a Lifetime in 2019.

The Archie's Book Club sticker could be clearly seen on the cover of the storybook in yesterday's video as Meghan and the little royal read together

The Archie’s Book Club sticker could be clearly seen on the cover of the storybook in yesterday’s video as Meghan and the little royal read together 

A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said the couple wanted to highlight the important issue on Archie’s birthday.

The spokesperson said: ‘The family is participating in the campaign across both the US and UK to help bring much-needed support to children who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘As they celebrate this family moment, the Duke and Duchess wanted to continue to raise awareness around the urgency of bringing food and learning resources to millions of children.’

A close-up of the blue and white striped sticker shows it reads 'Archie's Book Club' and features his initial

A close-up of the blue and white striped sticker shows it reads ‘Archie’s Book Club’ and features his initial 

The sweet video, filmed last weekend in California, was met with great excitement from royal fans, who noted how much Archie looked like Harry, 35, at the same age.

One posted: ‘OMG he is Prince Harry’s double!’ Another wrote: ‘Archie is Harry’s mini me’. 

In the video, Archie is dressed in a simple short white romper while Meghan is dressed down in a loose-fitting denim shirt, which she accessorised with a stack of beaded bracelets.

Hollywood actress Mindy Kaling revealed in March 2018 that Oprah gifted her one hundred essential children's books for her daughter Katherine which featured a near-identical sticker

Hollywood actress Mindy Kaling revealed in March 2018 that Oprah gifted her one hundred essential children’s books for her daughter Katherine which featured a near-identical sticker 

The 40-year-old worked with Oprah on the Wrinkle in Time film, revealing later that the media mogul gifted her daughter Katherine the 'essential children's books' (pictured, Mindy and Katherine)

The 40-year-old worked with Oprah on the Wrinkle in Time film, revealing later that the media mogul gifted her daughter Katherine the ‘essential children’s books’ (pictured, Mindy and Katherine)

Royal fans noted how much baby Archie looks like his father Prince Harry

Prince Harry pictured age one

Royal fans noted how much baby Archie looks like his father Prince Harry at the same age (seen right) in the new video

Archie sports a full head of hair and is wearing a T-shirt in the video, while Meghan, 38, is radiant in a casual denim shirt

Meghan read with one arm wrapped around her son, who appeared interested in moving around, and tried to keep Archie interested by making duck noises and nuzzling into his face. 

Reports surfaced earlier this year that Oprah had helped advise Meghan and Prince Harry on leaving their posts as senior members of the Royal Family, but she denied the claim. 

It was confirmed in September that Prince Harry had teamed with Oprah on a new Apple TV Plus streaming service series focusing on mental health.

The media mogul also attended the royal wedding in May 2018 as a guest of the couple. 

A book which teaches a lesson on right versus wrong and differing points of view

Duck! Rabbit! was written by American author and short film-maker Amy Krouse Rosenthal (pictured)

Duck! Rabbit! was written by American author and short film-maker Amy Krouse Rosenthal (pictured)

Meghan’s choice of Duck! Rabbit! suggests an early desire in the duchess to teach her son to see both sides of an argument.

Published in 2009, the story features two unseen people debating whether the creature before them is a duck or a rabbit, with each making arguments to push their case. The book was read at the White House in 2010 during the Easter Egg Roll.

It was written by American author and short film-maker Amy Krouse Rosenthal, who published more than 30 children’s books between 2005 and her death aged 51 in 2017. 

She is the only author to have three children’s books make the Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy list in the same year and is best known for her memoir Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.

Rosenthal, who had three children, was a frequent contributor to TED and gave talks at TEDxSanDiego 2011 and at TEDxSMU 2012. She delivered her first, and most renowned, TED talk ‘Notes on Life’ at TEDxWaterloo in Canada in 2010.

Her essays and articles have appeared in The New York Times, Hallmark Magazine, Parenting, O: The Oprah Magazine and McSweeney’s. Her website, whoisamy.com, was named one of the best official author websites, alongside Barbara Kingsolver and Stephen King.

Rosenthal announced she was terminally ill with ovarian cancer on March 3, 2017, by way of an essay entitled Modern Love, published in the New York Times. The essay took the form of a dating profile for her husband Jason, intended to help him remarry after her death. She died 10 days later at her Chicago home.

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