The Duchess of Sussex has withdrawn from a planned address on protecting children online, with sources saying she does not feel emotionally able to speak publicly after her father’s arrest.
Meghan, 45, and Prince Harry, 42, were scheduled to appear at the launch of the Lost Screen Memorial at the European Parliament in Brussels tomorrow.
The duchess had been expected to introduce Harry before speaking about the importance of safeguarding vulnerable children.
She has now cancelled her speech following the arrest of her 82-year-old father, Thomas Markle Snr, by the FBI last week. He has been charged with possessing child sexual abuse material.
“She is simply not emotionally strong enough to undertake public speaking at the moment,” a source told The Telegraph.
Harry is still expected to deliver his remarks in Belgium and is understood to hope they will be viewed in the context of the allegations against his father-in-law, whom he has never met.
Meghan is expected to attend the event, marking her first public appearance since the allegations emerged last month.
Following Harry’s speech, the couple are due to walk through the memorial, which pays tribute to children who died after experiencing harm online.
The installation features 50 phones, each displaying a photograph of a child who died after being exposed to damaging online content or social media.
Meghan and Prince Harry were scheduled to speak at the Brussels launch of the Lost Screen Memorial at the European Parliament tomorrow
Thomas Markle, the Duchess of Sussex’s estranged 82-year-old father, was arrested by the FBI in Florida on Friday over an alleged child abuse image offence
The duke will also take part in a panel titled Beyond Promises: Building A Digital Future That Works For Children, focusing on ways to make the internet safer for young people.
In May, Meghan met parents grieving the loss of children to online harm during a visit to the Lost Screen Memorial in Switzerland.
“Children must be safe by design, not safe by chance,” she said at the ceremony.
Our News Outlet has approached representatives for the Sussexes for comment.
After being released on bail, Meghan’s father is due to remain under home detention and wear an electronic tag. He appeared in a US court accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including images allegedly showing him with young girls.
The judge also imposed travel restrictions. Markle did not enter a plea during the hearing in Tampa, Florida.
The US Justice Department said his next court appearance in California is not expected for at least several weeks.
FBI agents arrested Markle on Friday after searching two Los Angeles storage units he had rented for almost 20 years and seizing a quantity of material.
He faces one charge of possessing child sexual abuse images.
The arrest came days after Our News Outlet alerted federal investigators to alleged child abuse material found in a storage unit Markle had rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico.
Markle previously told Our News Outlet, “I had no storage units in Rosarito!” He has denied any wrongdoing connected to the alleged discovery in the Philippines.
The investigation began after Markle was reported to police in the Philippines and to the FBI last month by his son, Thomas Markle Jnr. He allegedly discovered illegal images among his father’s belongings in Cebu City.
Acting under search warrants, FBI agents examined the units registered to Markle. He had rented them since 2008, and automatic payments for both had been made as recently as last month.
Investigators reportedly recovered around 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books suspected of containing child sexual abuse material.
Two images allegedly show an adult man whom a witness “positively identified” as Markle alongside a nude young girl.
According to court documents, the man in one image “appears to be in the age range of 30s to 40s”. If accurate, that would indicate the alleged conduct took place decades ago, as Markle is now 82.
The Duchess of Sussex said she was “deeply distressed” by allegations involving her father in the Philippines. She has not spoken publicly about the developments in Mexico since they emerged last week
The discovery of Markle’s Mexican storage unit last week, pictured above, was followed by an immediate alert to the FBI
A third image allegedly depicts a nude young girl in a room resembling one inside a Philippine motel chain.
Other photographs are also alleged to show Markle with children who appear to be partially or entirely undressed.
A conviction could result in a federal prison sentence of at least 20 years.
First assistant US attorney Bill Essayli said: “Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls.
“These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Markle to the fullest extent of federal law.”
FBI director Kash Patel said: “Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and attempted to steal their innocence through his criminal actions.
“Working alongside our Justice Department partners, our agents acted swiftly, located the explicit material and arrested Markle in Florida.
“The FBI will deploy every resource available to protect innocent children. Any predator who targets young people will find no safe haven in this country or anywhere else they attempt to hide.”
Markle, who had been living in a US dementia care facility, has acknowledged paying for sex in the Philippines but has denied ever possessing child abuse imagery.
Meghan, who returned to the UK with Harry in August, said she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations concerning her father. She has been estranged from him since the period leading up to her 2018 wedding.
She previously said she received a letter through the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection in 2019 containing “troubling and disturbing allegations” about Markle, but was assured the matter was being investigated.
The Metropolitan Police has acknowledged that the information was not passed to other law enforcement agencies. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is now examining the force’s handling of the matter.
Sources said the duchess had wanted to speak publicly as soon as she read the letter, but police advised her not to do so.
After former television lighting director Markle had his leg amputated in the Philippines last year, he made several public appeals for Meghan to contact him.
Meghan is understood to have sent him a final letter saying she knew he was an abuser and that he would never meet his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
