Meghan joins Harry in Brussels in first appearance since her father's charge

The Duchess of Sussex has made her first public appearance since her father was charged with possession of child sex abuse material. Meghan arrived in Brussels on Tuesday beside Prince Harry, holding his hand tightly.

She did not answer reporters' questions about how she was feeling.

What happened?

The couple went to the European Parliament for the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial, which is supported by their Archewell charity. It first went on display in New York last year and has now moved to Europe.

The two had been expected to speak together. Meghan reportedly pulled out of the joint speech because she did not feel emotionally strong enough, so Harry delivered the keynote alone.

Sources close to the couple say the past few weeks have been emotionally challenging. It is understood Meghan still felt it was important to attend in support of affected families.

What did Harry say?

"I'm not here as an expert or a politician. I'm here as a father. My wife, a mother," he told MEPs (members of the European Parliament). He said children "deserve to feel safe wherever they are", including in classrooms and playgrounds.

"I'm not asking for a world without technology," he added, calling for stronger safety measures and more focus on prevention.

On a panel afterwards, he described the addictive nature of social media as "brainwashing on an extraordinary scale". He did not mention Meghan's father.

What is the memorial?

The memorial is a collection of images of young people whose parents believe their deaths were linked to harm they experienced on social media. Each one is a photo of a child that a parent kept on their phone.

It includes 13-year-old Breck Bednar from Surrey, who died in 2014 and whose parents believe he was groomed online. It also features Jools Sweeney from Gloucestershire, who took his own life in 2022. His parents say his social media use during the Covid lockdown contributed to his death.

Why now?

Thomas Markle appeared in court in Florida on Friday, charged with possession of child sex abuse images. He is under home detention with electronic monitoring and has previously denied the allegations.

Meghan has been estranged from him for several years. He did not attend her 2018 wedding to Harry at Windsor Castle, citing ill health. When reports about him emerged last month, she said she was "deeply distressed at the news" and hoped "justice will be fully served".