Prince Harry and Meghan will travel to Brussels next week for a joint overseas visit, making their first public appearance since allegations involving Meghan's father, Thomas Markle. The Duke and Duchess are scheduled to visit Brussels on Tuesday, November 10, where they will deliver a joint keynote address at the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial in the European Parliament.
Thomas Markle was reported to police in the Philippines and the FBI over a haul of alleged child sexual abuse images, allegations he denies, calling them 'sick lies'. The trip to Brussels was announced just minutes after the King and Queen departed Antigua and Barbuda at the end of their trip to the Caribbean.
Keynote Address at the European Parliament
The couple will listen to addresses by European Parliament president Roberta Metsola and MEP Antonio Lopez-Isturiz, the first vice-chair of the Child Rights Intergroup, before delivering their own speech. The Lost Screen Memorial has been created by Harry and Meghan's Archewell Foundation to commemorate the lives of children who have lost their lives as a result of the harm they suffered on social media. It was unveiled in New York last year and taken to Geneva earlier this year, where Meghan gave a keynote speech.
In Brussels, the Sussexes are expected to draw on their experiences talking to families who have been affected by online harm. Their 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".
Panel Discussion on Protecting Children Online
Afterwards, Harry will join a panel discussion in the European Parliament, which will consider how children can be protected 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.
The announcement comes after the Sussexes stepped out of the public spotlight in recent weeks during the King's Caribbean tour, after claims that Harry was 'mindful' of not distracting from it. Charles's nine-day tour to the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda had its final day today. Traditionally, royals are careful not to undertake high-profile visits or appearances that would overshadow another's work, especially state visits carried out by the King.
Recent Public Appearances and Future Plans
Last month, Harry and Meghan made their first joint public appearance together since moving back to the UK in Nottingham, in what resembled a royal engagement on the same day that the King and Queen opened the Welsh Parliament. While Charles was in the Caribbean, the Sussexes did not make any public appearances and spent time with their children during the half-term holidays. It is believed they do have one more public event together planned before the end of the year.
A source close to the couple said: "Harry doesn't set out with an intention to try to pull focus or draw attention away from what his father is doing or what his brother is doing. That's never his intention at all, but obviously for him to be able to mitigate against that he does need to have decent foresight of what's coming up." The insider claimed that the Sussexes aren't always informed in advance of events and are unable to withdraw from commitments so they do not disappoint charities.
It comes weeks after the King made it clear the Sussexes will remain private citizens and are "on their own" despite their move back to the UK in the summer. In a firm letter issued on behalf of Charles, it stated that the Sussexes should not use their HRH styles, which are still in abeyance, and that they "do not represent the sovereign" while out making public appearances.
