Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Make Joint Public Appearance in Brussels

The Duchess of Sussex has made her first public appearance alongside Prince Harry at the European Parliament in Brussels. The Tuesday event marked the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial, which features photos of young people whose deaths are linked by parents to online social media harm.

The Brussels Visit

Meghan joined her husband at the Paul-Henri Spaak building, holding his hand tightly upon arrival, though she did not answer reporters asking how she was feeling. Prince Harry delivered the keynote address alone after Meghan withdrew from speaking because she did not feel emotionally strong enough. During his speech, Harry stated that he and his wife stand with parents who lost children to online harm. He told the European Parliament that children deserve to feel safe in places like classrooms and playgrounds.

Background and Context

The appearance follows the recent arrest of Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, in Florida on a charge of possessing child sex abuse images. Markle is currently under house arrest with electronic monitoring and has previously denied the allegations. Meghan, who has been estranged from her father for several years, released a statement last month saying she was deeply distressed and hoped justice would be fully served. Prince Harry did not mention Markle during his address.

Context

The Lost Screen Memorial is supported by the couple's Archewell charity and displays photos that parents once held on their phones, including images of 13-year-old Breck Bednar and Jools Sweeney. The campaign aims to pressure social media companies to better support grieving families and provide them with digital disclosure.