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The hidden meaning behind Archie's birthday book read by Meghan Markle© Prince Harry

The hidden meaning behind baby Archie’s birthday book read by Meghan Markle

The Duchess read the children’s book Duck! Rabbit! to her son


UPDATED MAY 6, 2020 12:46 PM EDT

 Meghan Markle  celebrated son  Archie Harrison ’s first birthday by participating in Save The Children UK’s “Save the Stories” campaign. The Duchess of Sussex opted to read the New York Times bestselling book and Archie’s “favorite”  Duck! Rabbit!  by Amy Krouse Rosenthal for the reading session. While Meghan’s choice might seem like any other children’s book with cute illustrations, it is actually based on the classic duck or rabbit visual puzzle. What an individual sees from the ambiguous figure and how quickly they are able to see the figure or figures, could indicate how creative an individual is, according to a 2011 study titled “Creativity and Ease of Ambiguous Figural Reversal” that was published in the British Journal of Psychology.

Meghan and Archie enjoyed a reading session at home in Los Angeles© Prince Harry
Meghan and Archie enjoyed a reading session at home in Los Angeles

In the study (via Indy100), participants had to list as many possible uses for everyday objects in two minutes, before being shown the rabbit and duck image. They were then asked which figure they could see. If participants could see both, then researchers also studied how long it took to flip between the duck and rabbit. The study found that participants who were able to distinguish the two animals the fastest were also on average able to find three more uses for the everyday objects, thus suggesting that they are more creative.

Meghan read the children’s take on the age-old optical illusion to Archie from their Los Angeles home.  Proud dad Prince Harry filmed the video, which was posted on Save The Children UK’s social page in honor of Archie’s first birthday on May 6 . The one year old lent his mom a helping hand turning the pages of the book, and dropping another as he squirmed around during their storytime.  Queen Elizabeth ’s great-grandson looked adorable sporting a white onesie as he sat on his mom’s lap.

The video marked the first time royal fans have seen Archie since December 31, when Sussex Royal shared a photo of the royal baby and the Duke of Sussex in Canada. “Thank you #DuchessMeghan for helping us to raise urgent funds for our coronavirus appeal,” Save The Children UK wrote alongside the new video. The charity’s “Save the Stories” campaign supports vulnerable families in the UK and around the world by helping to provide early learning packs, supermarket vouchers, essential household items and virus protection amid the coronavirus pandemic.