Meghan Markle bows out of joint speech with Harry at first event since her father's arrest
Brussels, Belgium - Meghan Markle appeared in public for the first time Tuesday since her estranged father was charged with alleged possession of child sexual abuse images – keeping a low profile as she visited Brussels with her husband Prince Harry.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were greeted by a cluster of photographers on arrival at the EU parliament for an event about the dangers children face online.
Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, was arrested in Florida on Friday and charged with one count of possession of child sexual abuse material – and she did not reply to a shouted question seeking a comment.
The couple had been due to give a joint speech, but only Harry spoke at the opening of an installation honouring 50 children who died because of online abuse and exploitation, dubbed the "Lost Screen Memorial".
Meghan was photographed in conversation with one mother whose teenage son committed suicide in 2017 after a nude image of him was posted online.
But she was not in the room when Harry then took part in an event with activists, during which he lambasted Big Tech for refusing to make changes to protect children.
An unnamed source told the UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper that Meghan is "just not strong enough emotionally to be doing any public speaking" following her father's arrest.
The couple projected calm when they arrived on Tuesday morning.
Dressed in all black with a small poppy pin – the symbol of remembrance for soldiers who died in battle – Meghan held tightly on to Harry's hand. The duke was dressed in a sombre dark blue suit, also with a poppy and dark-colored tie.
Meghan appeared smiling next to Harry as she met European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and Spanish EU lawmaker Antonio Lopez-Isturiz.
The visit also marked the couple's first appearance together at a public event abroad, since returning to live in Britain following six years in the US.
Meghan keeps a low profile after Thomas Markle's arrest
Meghan's 82-year-old father was taken into custody by FBI agents Friday at the retirement home where he lives in Lakeland, Florida and has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric examination.
The Justice Department said Markle allegedly "kept child sexual abuse material, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades".
Markle could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
British tabloids reported last month that pictures of child sex abuse had been found at Thomas Markle's former home in the Philippines, allegations later confirmed by police but denied by the duchess's father.
Meghan released a statement saying she was "deeply distressed" by the accusations, adding that she had blocked contact between him and her children Archie (7) and Lilibet (5) over previous "troubling and disturbing" allegations.
Taking part in a panel discussion with senior EU official Dubravka Suica and Lopez-Isturiz about the need to protect children online, Harry repeated the couple's commitment to the cause since 2020, to big applause.
"It became very clear that this problem wasn't going away, that more children were taking their lives or being harmed forever, more parents were suffering, and the companies at the heart of it refused to make any changes," he said.
Harry slammed "a handful of very powerful people who would like to see the world as a social media world: lawless".
And he praised the European Union's efforts to take on Big Tech including a plan to ban children under 13 from social media, and permit only limited, supervised access until age 15 under rules known as the EU Kids Act.
The law, expected to be formally agreed next year, will also force social media companies to make platforms safe before children use them.
"The unified approach, starting with turning the burden of proof on them rather than on parents, is the best place to begin," Harry said.
Cover photo: NICOLAS TUCAT / POOL / AFP