Princess Eugenie 'Horrified' After Apparent Meghan Markle Gift Lands on eBay for $26K, Report Says

Princess Eugenie is said to be 'horrified' after an apparently personalised copy of Meghan Markle's children's book, The Bench, surfaced on eBay with a $26,500 (about £20,000) asking price, according to a new report.

The listing, which featured a handwritten message addressed to 'Eug & Jack', sparked immediate speculation about how such an intimate gift left royal hands and what it might signal about the relationship between the cousins.

To recall, The Bench was published in June 2021 as a tribute to fatherhood, inspired by a poem Meghan wrote for Prince Harry after the birth of their son Archie. The eBay version was described as a 2021 first edition, signed and inscribed by Meghan to mark the arrival of Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's son, August, in February that year.

How the £20,000 eBay Listing Drew Royal Attention

The controversy broke when a London-based seller posted the book for £19,999.99 (about $26,500), presenting it as a rare piece of modern royal memorabilia. Photographs circulating online appeared to show a warm message referencing Frogmore Cottage, the Windsor home where Eugenie and Jack lived after Harry and Meghan moved to California.

That detail alone made the listing awkward. The note, reportedly signed 'All love, Meghan', tied together two households that had shared the same property at different times, and celebrated the very bond between father and son that the book itself honours.

Unsigned copies of The Bench sell for a few dollars, so the five-figure valuation rested almost entirely on the claimed royal connection.

According to reports, the listing racked up more than 16,000 views after images of the inscription began spreading. The listing was removed on 2 October, but it remains unclear whether the book sold or was simply withdrawn by the seller. Its disappearance did little to quiet the noise.

Princess Eugenie 'Horrified' and Reportedly Calls Meghan Markle

A source told Rob Shuter's Naughty But Nice Substack, as cited by The Express US, that Eugenie contacted Meghan directly after learning about the sale. 'Eugenie called Meghan herself. She was horrified the book had somehow ended up for sale,' the insider claimed.

The same source insisted Eugenie made clear she would never knowingly sell or discard a personal present from Meghan. The duchess is said to have accepted the explanation and not blamed her cousin for the book appearing on eBay.

Neither woman has publicly confirmed the alleged conversation, and IBTimes UK cannot independently verify these claims, so take everything lightly.

Still, the reported phone call matters because it arrives amid persistent suggestions that Eugenie's once-close tie to Harry and Meghan has cooled.

She was long seen as one of Harry's closest royal allies, knew about his relationship with Meghan before it became public, and appeared in their Netflix documentary. More recent reports, however, have pointed to less frequent contact since the Sussexes' return to the UK.

Mystery Remains Over How the Bench Reached eBay

Eugenie's alleged denial clarifies what she did not do, but not how the book left her possession. The seller has not offered a detailed account of the item's history, and representatives for Meghan, Eugenie and the seller did not respond to requests for comment when People published its report.

There is also no public confirmation that Meghan personally examined the photographs or independently authenticated the handwriting before reportedly accepting Eugenie's explanation.

That leaves the central question unanswered: how did a copy of the book, apparently inscribed for two members of the royal family, end up carrying a $26,500 (about £20,000) asking price on a public marketplace?

Speculation has ranged from the couple disposing of the volume to the possibility that it was left behind at Frogmore Cottage, while questions have also been raised about whether the inscription is genuine.

The Daily Beast noted these possible scenarios as the story gained traction, underscoring how little is actually known beyond the eBay listing and second-hand claims about Eugenie's reaction.

For now, according to the report, Eugenie told Meghan that she had not knowingly put the personal gift up for sale. The circumstances surrounding how the book reached eBay, as well as the authenticity of the inscription, remain unconfirmed. The claims should therefore be treated with caution.