Prince Harry and Meghan to address European Parliament on child safety

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 4 Nov, 22:40 · Archive

Prince Harry and Meghan will visit the European Parliament in Brussels next Tuesday to speak about online child safety.

Prince Harry and Meghan will visit the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday to deliver a joint keynote address at the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial. The visit marks their first public appearance together since allegations were reported against the Duchess's father, Thomas Markle, who has been reported to authorities in the Philippines and the FBI over alleged child sexual abuse images. Mr Markle denies the allegations, calling them 'sick lies'.

The Lost Screen Memorial, created by Harry and Meghan's Archewell Foundation, commemorates children who have died as a result of harm suffered on social media. The memorial was unveiled in New York last year and was previously displayed in Geneva.

Before delivering their own speech, the Sussexes will listen to addresses by European Parliament president Roberta Metsola and MEP Antonio Lopez-Isturiz, the first vice-chair of the Child Rights Intergroup. Harry and Meghan will use between 15 and 20 minutes combined for their address, drawing on their experiences speaking with families affected by online harm. Their remarks will emphasise the importance of converting commitments into meaningful action and keeping children's experiences central to decisions about the digital future.

Following the keynote, Harry will participate in a panel discussion titled Beyond Promises: Building A Digital Future That Works For Children, which will examine how to protect children online. Questions from the audience will be permitted, though not from media.

The Philippine National Police said files allegedly belonging to Thomas Markle Snr, reported by his son Thomas Markle Jr, included videos of alleged child sexual abuse and exploitation among other materials found in four storage boxes. The items comprised nine mobile phones, three SD cards, five hard drives and a camera. The police said it has yet to be confirmed who owned the devices.

How it is being reported

• Harry and Meghan set for first public appearance after Thomas Markle allegationsHarry and Meghan are due to appear together in the wake of allegations made against the Duchess’ fatherThe Independent · 4 Nov, 16:28
• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to visit EU ParliamentCouple will be in Brussels to talk about online child safety.Politico Europe · 4 Nov, 16:21
• Prince Harry and Meghan announce overseas trip for first appearance since Thomas Markle allegationsIt has been announced that Prince Harry and Meghan will travel to Brussels next week, where they will visit the European Parliament to talk about online safety for childrenThe Mirror · 4 Nov, 15:24

In this story: Prince Harry · Meghan Markle · Thomas Markle · European Parliament · Archewell Foundation · Brussels · Philippines

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