Meghan Markle has withdrawn from a keynote speech on child safety in Brussels.
The Duchess of Sussex, 45, was scheduled to address the Lost Screen Memorial at the European Parliament on Tuesday alongside Prince Harry, 42, but pulled out after her father Thomas Markle Sr. Was arrested Friday on a child pornography charge. “She’s just not strong enough, emotionally, to be doing any public speaking right now,” an insider said on Monday.
Harry remains expected to deliver his own remarks at the event, and the couple will still walk through the art installation together before his panel discussion. The source claimed the hope was for the Duke of Sussex’s words to be understood in the context of Thomas Sr.’s arrest.
The memorial features 50 phones displaying lock screens of children who died from harmful effects of social media. Meghan had been tapped to speak on child safety at the exhibition honoring young victims of online harm.
Thomas Sr., 80, was detained at the Maravida Senior Living care home in Lakeland, Florida, following searches of his storage units on Oct. 30 and Nov. 4. He appeared in court shortly after his arrest and was returned to the care facility. The arrest followed an investigation in the Philippines last month where he faced allegations of possessing child sexual abuse material.
Meghan addressed the allegations against her father in a statement, revealing she first learned of them in 2018 through a letter from London’s Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection.
“Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine,” she wrote in the statement, “justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children.”
She described herself as “deeply disturbed” by the claims, explaining they contributed to the estrangement between herself and her father. Thomas Sr. Has maintained his innocence and previously denied the allegations against him.
The Brussels appearance marks a rare European engagement for the couple, who stepped back from royal duties in 2020. The Lost Screen Memorial brings together advocates, survivors, and policymakers to confront the human cost of unregulated social media platforms.
Meghan’s withdrawal leaves Harry to carry the public-facing portion of their joint commitment, with the couple’s presence at the installation walkthrough now serving as their sole shared appearance at the event. The insider’s comments to the Telegraph mark the first direct acknowledgment of how Thomas Sr.’s arrest has affected the Duchess’s immediate plans.
The European Parliament event represents a significant platform for the couple’s ongoing work on online safety, an issue both have championed through their Archewell Foundation and public advocacy. Harry’s continued participation suggests the memorial’s organizers and the couple determined his message could still resonate despite the surrounding family turmoil.
The couple’s representatives were not immediately available for comment when contacted by the outlet.
Harry is still scheduled to deliver his speech at the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday.