BRUSSELS, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Meghan, the wife of Britain's Prince Harry, cancelled plans to address a European Parliament gathering on Tuesday, as she made her first public appearance since her father was charged with possessing child sexual abuse photos.
The couple appeared at an event to discuss child online safety in Brussels, where Harry delivered a speech at the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial, an art installation commemorating children who died as a result of suffering harm on social media.
They were met by waiting delegates and a large press pack, with journalists shouting to ask Meghan how she was feeling. Both dressed in black, they made no comment.
Meghan had also been due to speak but cancelled her address, a spokesperson for the couple said.
The Daily Telegraph reported that Meghan, who said in a statement last month that she was "deeply distressed" at the allegations about her father, did not feel strong enough to speak at the event.
US authorities charged Thomas Markle with possession of child sexual abuse photos last week, including photographs of himself with naked underage girls, found in rented storage units in California.
The 82-year-old denied the accusations of possessing child sexual abuse material when they came to light, telling the Daily Mail they were untrue and "sick lies".
OUTSPOKEN CRITICS OF ONLINE DANGERS
Both Harry and Meghan have regularly spoken out about online dangers to children and been critical of major tech companies for not doing more to protect them.
The prince made no reference to his father-in-law in his address in Brussels, where the couple opened the Lost Screen Memorial, which they initially launched in New York last year through their charitable organisation Archewell.
"How did we reach a point where we can build technology capable of extraordinary things, yet still struggle to make it safe for a child?" Harry said as he gave a speech alongside parents who had been affected by the issue.
"I’m not here as an expert or a politician. I’m here as a father, my wife, as a mother and together, as a couple who stand alongside parents like Sandra, Megan and Sewell — in New York, Los Angeles, Geneva and now Brussels. Parents who never imagined they would have a reason to be in rooms like this," he said, referring to parents who believe their children died as a result of online harm.
Meghan has been estranged from her father since the run-up to her marriage to King Charles' younger son Harry in 2018.
She said in her statement last month that she had known about the allegations against him since 2018 and had prevented him from having contact with her children Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, to protect them.
Their trip to Brussels follows an appearance in Nottingham in October, their first joint appearance since they moved back to live in Britain, having relocated to the United States in 2020 when they stepped back from official royal duties.
(Reporting by Kate Holton, Michael Holden and Yoruk Bahceli; editing by Sarah Young and Sharon Singleton)
