Prince Harry has said children deserve to feel safe "wherever they are" during an appearance at the European Parliament in Brussels, where the Duchess of Sussex was seen publicly for the first time since her father's arrest for possession of child abuse images.
The Sussexes attended the European Parliament together, where Harry delivered a keynote address on protecting children online. Meghan had been due to speak alongside him but pulled out, as she was not emotionally "strong enough". The speech focused on keeping children safe online and the importance of prevention.
Harry's address on child safety
Harry told those gathered: "I'm not here as an expert or a politician. I'm here as a father. My wife, as a mother."
He added: "All children should be able to go online and discover something wonderful. A friend. An interest that becomes a passion. A place where they feel understood."
"They deserve to feel safe wherever they are. In a classroom. On a playground. At any time, no matter where they are."
Call for technology to protect children
He also said: "If you take one thing from today, let it be the stories of the parents so we can all truly understand what is asked of us and what we must ask of technology in this moment."
"We rarely ask technology to be less ambitious. We're told it will transform education. Cure disease. Solve problems we once thought impossible. Why should our ambition stop there?"
"Why, when we ask whether it can keep a child safe, does everything suddenly become complicated? I am not asking for a world without technology."
"That isn't possible, it isn't what young people want, and it certainly isn't what I want for my own children."
Emotional moment with grieving mother
After speaking, the couple listened to a speech by Sandra Spitaels, whose 15-year-old son Glen died when he took his own life after an intimate photo of him was shared online. As she spoke, Harry held her hand, and afterwards Meghan got up and hugged her, asking her: "Are you OK?"
The couple had arrived earlier hand-in-hand and ignored questions from reporters about Thomas Markle Sr as they walked through the Parliament's entrance hall. The joint outing, their first official trip overseas since their move back to the UK in August, comes just days after Meghan's father was released on bail after appearing in a US court accused of possessing child sex abuse material.
Thomas Markle Sr was arrested by FBI agents on Friday after they seized a haul of material from two Los Angeles storage units he rented for nearly two decades. He is charged with one count of possession of child pornography. When allegations about her father, from whom she has been estranged since 2018, first surfaced last month, she said she was "deeply distressed".
She revealed she was sent a letter via the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection in 2019 which made "troubling and disturbing allegations" about her father, but she was given assurances these were being investigated.
On their brief trip to Brussels, Harry will later join a panel discussion called Beyond Promises: Building A Digital Future That Works For Children to discuss how to protect children 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.
