Meghan Drops Brussels Child Safety Speech After Father’s Arrest

Meghan is due to attend the launch of the Lost Screen Memorial, located in the European Parliament building in Brussels, on November 10, but will not give the speech she had been due to deliver. The event is dedicated to children who died after suffering online harm. Prince Harry is still expected to address the gathering and take part in a panel on building a safer digital environment for children.

The memorial installation includes 50 phones displaying images of children who died after exposure to harmful social media. Meghan and Harry are expected to walk through it after Harry’s speech. Meghan had previously visited the installation in Switzerland and called for children’s safety to be built into online services.

Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle Sr., 82, was arrested in Florida and charged with possessing child sexual abuse images. He appeared in court and was released on bail subject to home detention, electronic monitoring and travel restrictions. He made no plea during his court appearance and has denied possessing such material.

Meghan has said she is deeply distressed by the allegations against her father. A source said she did not feel emotionally able to speak publicly at present. The case is expected to return to court in California in several weeks or later; Harry’s speech and panel discussion are still scheduled to proceed.