Prince Harry and Meghan are due to visit the European Parliament tomorrow in Brussels to speak about online safety for children – but it is understood only Harry will now speak at the event
Meghan will no longer give a joint keynote speech with Prince Harry on online safety for children in Brussels tomorrow as she is “not strong enough” after her dad’s arrest, it has been claimed.
The couple had been due to both speak at the European Parliament to open their Lost Screen Memorial, which has been created by their Archewell Foundation to commemorate the lives of children who have lost their lives as a result of the harm they suffered on social media.
The joint outing, and their first official trip overseas since their move back to the UK in August, comes just days after Meghan’s dad, Thomas Markle Sr was released on bail after appearing in a US court accused of possessing child sex abuse material.
And while it is understood Meghan accompany Harry at tomorrow’s event, she will no longer speak at it.
A source told The Telegraph: “She’s just not strong enough, emotionally, to be doing any public speaking right now.”
Harry will still give his speech as planned, and it is claimed he hopes his words will be understood with his father-in-law’s arrest. The Mirror has contacted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s office for comment.
Markle Sr was arrested by FBI agents on Friday after they seized a haul of material from two Los Angeles storage units he rented for nearly two decades. He is charged with one count of possession of child pornography.
When allegations about her father, from whom she has been estranged since 2018, first surfaced last month, Meghan said she was “deeply distressed”.
She revealed she was sent a letter via the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection in 2019 which made “troubling and disturbing allegations” about her father, but she was given assurances these were being investigated.
Travel restrictions were also imposed by the judge on Markle Sr, who did not enter a plea at the hearing in Tampa, Florida on Friday. He was ordered to undergo a psychiatric exam, amid concerns he may not be unable to understand the proceedings or properly assist his lawyer. A future court appearance in California is not due for at least several weeks, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Tomorrow, Harry is expected to draw on experiences talking to families who have been affected by online harm during his speech. It also said the remarks will “underline the importance of turning commitments into meaningful action and ensuring that the experiences of children and their families remain central to decisions about the digital future”.
He will later join a panel discussion called Beyond Promises: Building A Digital Future That Works For Children to discuss how to protect children online.
The panel will cover topics including the responsibilities of tech companies and preventing online child sexual abuse and exploitation. Questions will be permitted from the audience, but not the media.
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