Meghan joins Harry in Brussels in first public appearance since father's arrest

The Duchess of Sussex has made her first public appearance since her father was charged with possession of child sexual abuse material.

Meghan joined her husband Prince Harry at the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, where he delivered a speech calling for greater protection for children online.

Harry gave the keynote address alone after Meghan reportedly withdrew from speaking alongside him because she did not feel emotionally strong enough.

The duchess was seen holding her husband's hand tightly as they arrived at the Paul-Henri Spaak building. She did not respond to questions from reporters about how she was feeling.

During his speech, Harry said he and his wife stood alongside parents who had lost children to online harm.

"I'm not here as an expert or a politician. I'm here as a father. My wife, a mother," he told the European Parliament.

The duke stressed the importance of preventing online harm and said children "deserve to feel safe wherever they are", including in classrooms and playgrounds.

He did not reference Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, who appeared in court in Florida on Friday charged with possession of child sex abuse images.

Markle, who is currently under home arrest and subject to electronic monitoring, has previously denied the allegations.

Meghan has been estranged from her father for several years. He did not attend her wedding in Windsor in 2018 citing "ill health" at the time.

When reports emerged about Thomas Markle last month, including allegations he possessed of child sex abuse images, Meghan released a statement saying she was "deeply distressed at the news" and hoped that "justice will be fully served".

The duke and duchess' appearance marked the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial which has moved to Europe after being launched in New York last year.

Supported by their Archewell charity, the memorial features a moving collection of images of young people whose parents believe their deaths were linked to linked to harm they had experienced on social media. Each image is a photo of a son or daughter that a mum or dad held in their phone.

The memorial includes a photo of 13-year-old Breck Bednar from Surrey, who died in 2014. His parents believe he was groomed online via gaming and social media apps.

Another image shows Jools Sweeney from Gloucestershire, who took his own life in 2022. His parents say his use of social media during the Covid lockdown contributed to his death.

BBC Breakfast spoke to Harry and Meghan in April last year when the Lost Screen Memorial first went on display in New York.

"No matter how polarised the world is," Meghan told the BBC, "one thing we can all agree on is that our children should be safe, all of our children should be safe".

The couple want their campaign to put pressure on social media companies to better support families following the loss of a child.

"These companies are getting away with it by saying we don't need to give you disclosure," an emotional Prince Harry told BBC Breakfast last year.

"You're telling a parent, you're telling a Dad and a Mum that they can't have the details of what their kid was up to on social media because of the privacy of their kid - the parents who've seen their kid from the time they were a child. It's wrong."