Meghan, Duchess of Sussex will not speak as planned at a child safety event in Brussels as she doesn’t feel “strong enough” to do so following the arrest of her father Thomas Markle.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has pulled out of a speech on child safety as she is “not strong enough” to speak following her father Thomas Markle’s arrest.
The royal had been due to deliver the keynote address alongside her husband Prince Harry at the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial at the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday (10.11.26), but Meghan will no longer speak after her father was arrested by the FBI in Florida last week and charged with possession of child sex abuse material.
A spokesperson for the Duchess said: “The Duchess is travelling with the Duke to Brussels and will accompany him to the event but will not speak.”
A source told The Daily Telegraph: “She’s just not strong enough, emotionally, to be doing any public speaking right now.”
Meghan, 45, had been expected to introduce the Duke of Sussex and was thought to refer to the need to support all vulnerable children in her speech.
Harry will still deliver his address as planned and is believed to hope that his words will be understood in the wake of his father-in-law’s arrest.
Following his speech, the couple will walk through the Lost Screen Memorial – an art installation honouring children who have passed away after being exposed to harmful content online.
The allegations against Meghan’s father first came to light last month when it emerged that he was facing a police investigation in the Philippines after his son Thomas Jr alleged he discovered child sexual abuse images among family possessions and computer files.
Meghan stated that she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations against her father and said she was first made aware of them in 2018 after a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and later shared with her.
In a statement, she said: “I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed.
“In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. That letter was subsequently shared with me.
“It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated.”
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex ‘not strong enough’ to deliver Brussels child safety speech
