The Duchess of Sussex has pulled out of a planned joint speech with Prince Harry on online child safety in Brussels, following the arrest of her father, Thomas Markle, on charges of possessing indecent images of children.
Thomas Markle Sr. was arrested and charged with possessing thousands of indecent images of children and appeared in court in Tampa, Florida. He was released on bail on Friday. The Duchess said she was "deeply distressed" by the allegations and has known about the claims since 2018.
Announcement on Good Morning Britain
Ranvir Singh announced the news on Good Morning Britain, where she delivered the day's updates alongside presenters Ed Balls and Susanna Reid.
"The Duchess of Sussex has pulled out of a joint speech with Prince Harry about online child safety in Brussels today because she doesn't feel emotionally strong enough after her father's arrest," Ranvir said.
She added: "Thomas Markle Sr. was released on bail on Friday after appearing in a US court charged with possessing child sexual abuse material."
Royal Correspondent Reports from Brussels
Ranvir then spoke to ITV's royal correspondent Chris Ship, who was reporting live from Brussels. Chris explained that Harry and Meghan would both be at the European Parliament in Brussels to bring their campaign to protect children online to legislators across the European Union.
"They'll both be here. However, only Harry will be speaking. Meghan decided over the weekend that she wasn't up to making any public statements here, which had been the plan," Chris said.
He continued: "But given everything that's happened in her life and everything she's been reading about her father since his arrest and appearance in court in Florida on Friday, Meghan decided that she wasn't emotionally strong enough."
Denial of Allegations
Chris noted that Thomas Markle denies all the allegations against him, although the FBI have charged him with the possession of child abuse images. He was arrested just outside his care home.
The couple are in Brussels for a campaign called the Lost Screens Memorial, where they support the families of children who have died as a result of the worst aspects of social media. Chris said the cause is close to their hearts, and both have travelled to Brussels, but most people will understand why Meghan decided now is not the right time for her to make the speech.
