Meghan Keeps Low Profile On First Trip After Father’s Arrest

Meghan Markle appeared in public for the first time Tuesday since her estranged father was charged for alleged possession of child sexual abuse images — keeping a low profile as she visited Brussels with her husband Prince Harry. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were greeted by a cluster of photographers on arrival at the EU parliament for an event about the dangers children face online.

Meghan’s father Thomas Markle was arrested in Florida on Friday and charged with one count of possession of child sexual abuse material — and she did not reply to a shouted question seeking a comment. The couple had been due to give a joint speech, but only Harry spoke at the opening of an installation honouring 50 children who died because of online abuse and exploitation, dubbed the “Lost Screen Memorial”.Britain’s Prince Harry (L), Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan (R), Duchess of Sussex, arrive at the European Parliament in Brussels on November 10, 2026, to attend the opening of “Lost Screen Memorial”.

Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP An unnamed source told the UK’s Daily Telegraph newspaper that Meghan is “just not strong enough emotionally to be doing any public speaking” following her father’s arrest. The couple projected calm when they arrived on Tuesday morning. Dressed in all black with a small poppy pin — the symbol of remembrance for soldiers who died in battle — Meghan held tightly on to Harry’s hand.

The duke was dressed in a sombre dark blue suit, also with a poppy and dark-coloured tie. Meghan appeared smiling next to Harry as she met European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and Spanish EU lawmaker Antonio Lopez-Isturiz. The visit also marked the couple’s first appearance together at a public event abroad, since returning to live in Britain following six years in the United States. ‘Disturbing’ allegations Meghan’s 82-year-old father was taken into custody by FBI agents Friday at the retirement home where he lives in Lakeland, Florida and has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric examination.

On Tuesday, US Attorney Bill Essayli posted to X that he had requested Thomas Markle be detained because the court ordered him to wear a monitoring device but “he allegedly cut the bracelet off”. US Magistrate Judge Lindsay Griffin ordered Thomas Markle “detained pending the resolution of this case” on Tuesday, writing “the defendant violated the conditions of his pretrial release”.

The US Justice Department said Markle allegedly “kept child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades”. Markle could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. British tabloids reported last month that pictures of child sex abuse had been found at Thomas Markle’s former home in the Philippines, allegations later confirmed by police but denied by the duchess’s father.

Meghan released a statement saying she was “deeply distressed” by the accusations, adding that she had blocked contact between him and her children Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, over previous “troubling and disturbing” allegations. Harry praises EU Taking part in a panel discussion with senior EU official Dubravka Suica and Lopez-Isturiz about the need to protect children online, Harry repeated the couple’s commitment to the cause since 2020, to big applause.

“It became very clear that this problem wasn’t going away, that more children were taking their lives or being harmed forever, more parents were suffering, and the companies at the heart of it refused to make any changes,” he said. Harry slammed “a handful of very powerful people who would like to see the world as a social media world: lawless”. And he praised the European Union’s efforts to take on Big Tech including a plan to ban children under 13 from social media, and permit only limited, supervised access until age 15 under rules known as the EU Kids Act.

The law, expected to be formally agreed next year, will also force social media companies to make platforms safe before children use them. “The unified approach, starting with turning the burden of proof on them rather than on parents, is the best place to begin,” Harry said. Meghan and Harry quit royal duties in early 2020, but still carry out similar activities in a private capacity.

AFP