The Duchess of Sussex has made her first public appearance since her father's arrest, joining Prince Harry in Brussels, where the couple were due to deliver keynote addresses to the European Parliament. However, Meghan will not speak publicly, as she is reportedly "not strong enough emotionally."
Meghan's Decision Not to Speak
Yesterday, it was confirmed that Meghan would no longer speak after Thomas Markle Sr appeared in court on Friday, charged with possession of child abuse material. A source told The Telegraph: "She's just not strong enough, emotionally, to be doing any public speaking right now."
Harry will now deliver the speech on his own but is not expected to reference his father-in-law's arrest, whom he has never met. A spokesperson for the couple confirmed last night: "The duchess is travelling with the duke to Brussels and will accompany him to the event but will not speak."
Memorial Walk and Event Details
After the Duke has spoken, Meghan will join him as they walk through The Lost Screen Memorial, an art installation honouring children who have died after being subjected to harm online. The couple previously unveiled the temporary Lost Memorial installation in New York City in 2025.
The one-day trip abroad will see Harry and Meghan, who returned to the UK in August, listen to addresses by European Parliament president Roberta Metsola and MEP Antonio Lopez-Isturiz, the first vice-chairman of the Child Rights Intergroup. The couple were due to have 15 to 20 minutes each for a rare dual address to speak about the importance of children's digital safety, but this task will now be taken on by Harry.
Panel Discussion and Memorial Exhibition
They will also be shown the memorial exhibition, which features smartphone-shaped light-boxes each displaying a lock screen photograph of a child or young person who died due to online harm. The duke will later join a panel discussion called Beyond Promises: Building A Digital Future That Works For Children to discuss how to protect children online.
