Meghan Markle looked visibly strained and emotional as she made her first public appearance since her father's arrest this week. The Duchess of Sussex joined her husband in Brussels for an event on online child safety on Tuesday, where she was pictured clinging tightly to him, a marked contrast to her demeanour in Nottingham just weeks earlier.
She decided to still attend the event at the European Parliament despite Thomas Markle Snr's arrest in Florida on Friday for possession of child abuse images, despite being fully aware that she would receive criticism for going in the wake of the allegations levelled against her estranged father. Meghan pulled out of delivering the keynote address alongside her husband, but still found the courage to attend and ignored questions from the media about how she was coping.
Emotional Toll Evident
A source close to the Duchess said that the events of the last few weeks have really taken their toll on her, which they say was clearly evident in how she conducted herself on Tuesday. Dressed in black with pared-back jewellery and very few smiles, Meghan's sparkle certainly appeared to have dimmed.
At the moment, Meghan and her team are refusing to provide a running commentary on the events surrounding her father, who was jailed on Tuesday for breaking his bail conditions. When the allegations were first made public by The Sun last month, the Duchess said she was "deeply distressed" by them but has not commented since.
Likely Response Strategy
Meghan will not issue further statements on the matter until she is in a stronger mental state and has fully processed the allegations against her father. It is also likely that she is waiting for the investigations to run their course and will only speak once the cases have concluded.
That may come in the form of an official statement from her spokesperson, or even in an interview. The former actress is no stranger to the press, and may turn to a trusted publication or journalist to tell her side of the story.
Letter Controversy and Legal Path
The Duchess has faced criticism for not making public a 2019 letter she received that contained serious allegations against her father. Critics say her response requires further scrutiny. However, it is understood that Meghan was advised not to speak about the claims and that she left the Met Police, who had shown her the letter, to investigate.
Mr Markle Snr strongly denies the allegations and will now be remanded in custody until his case goes to court.
