Meghan Markle Pulls Out of European Parliament Speech After Father's Arrest as Harry Delivers Address Alone

BRUSSELS — Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, withdrew from a joint speech on children's online safety that she was due to give with Prince Harry at the European Parliament on Tuesday. The decision came days after her father, Thomas Markle, was arrested in the United States on a child sexual abuse material charge.

The couple were due to give the keynote address together at the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial, a traveling art installation that honors children who died after being harmed online. Harry spoke alone. Meghan still went to the event and was photographed walking into the Parliament building with her husband.

The change was confirmed on Monday, the day before the event. The Telegraph first reported that the duchess had decided against public speaking after her father's arrest.

"She's just not strong enough, emotionally, to be doing any public speaking right now," a source told the newspaper.

Thomas Markle, 82, appeared in a U.S. court on Friday charged with possession of child sexual abuse material. ABC News reported that the FBI took him into custody in Florida after an investigation involving storage units in Los Angeles. He has not been convicted of any crime. Meghan has been estranged from her father for years.

The Brussels visit was the couple's first joint overseas engagement since they moved back to the United Kingdom in August. Last month they held their first joint U.K. engagement, visiting three charities that support children, young people and families in Nottingham, England.

In his speech, Harry said he and Meghan were there as parents. He did not mention his father-in-law, but focused on preventing harm to children.

"I'm not here as an expert or a politician. I'm here as a father. My wife, as a mother," he said.

He said children "deserve to feel safe wherever they are. In a classroom. On a playground. At any time, no matter where they are."

Harry called for action aimed at "preventing harm before it happens, rather than waiting for tragedy before deciding something must change." He urged technology companies to do more to protect young users and called for accountability from social media platforms.

He praised Europe, saying the region "has led the world on privacy and technology accountability." He also spoke in support of the EU Kids Act, a proposal that would restrict or prohibit children's use of social media according to age bands.

The memorial is displayed inside the Parliament. It is made up of oversized replica smartphones, and each lock screen shows the photo of a child who died after suffering harm online. During his speech, Harry pointed to a screen of faces behind him and said they represented "the thousands of families from across the world who've lost a child, and the millions whose children will never be the same again."

Harry also took part in a panel discussion titled "Beyond Promises, Building a Digital Future that Works for Children." It included Emilio Puccio, secretary general of the European Parliament Intergroup on Children's Rights. The speakers called for greater transparency from tech companies and better access for bereaved parents to their children's devices.

The Sussexes have campaigned on online safety for several years. They have worked with parents who say social media platforms played a role in their children's deaths, and online harm has become one of the main issues of their philanthropic work.

Meghan's appearance in Brussels was her first in public since the allegations against her father emerged. It drew criticism on social media. Some users questioned why she attended the event if she was not well enough to speak. Supporters said she likely stepped back to keep attention on the families and the campaign rather than on her personal situation.

Before the event, reports said Meghan had been expected to introduce her husband and to refer to the need to support all vulnerable children. That remark could have been read as a response to the case against her father.

Thomas Markle has been in the news often since his daughter married Prince Harry in 2018, after he missed the wedding following a staged paparazzi photo scandal and health problems. Meghan has said she has been estranged from him for years.

Neither the duchess nor her representatives commented further on Tuesday. The couple did not say when Meghan would resume public speaking.