Harry, Meghan visit Brussels after Thomas Markle arrest

The couple, also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will attend an event at the European Parliament about the dangers facing children on social media.

It will be the first time Meghan has been seen in public since her father Thomas Markle was arrested in Florida on Friday and charged with one count of "possession of child pornography".

It will also mark the first time the couple appear together at a public event abroad since they returned to live in Britain this summer after six years in the United States.

They will open The Lost Screen Memorial displaying images of children affected by online abuse and exploitation.

They had been due to give a joint speech, but only Harry is now expected to speak. He will also take part in a panel event with international activists.

An unnamed source told the UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper that Meghan is "just not strong enough emotionally to be doing any public speaking" following her father's arrest.

An anonymous friend was quoted as saying in the Times that Harry will speak about "child safety".

"You can read into his speech what you will, and it can be taken in any number of ways," they said.

The 82-year-old Markle was taken into custody by FBI agents early Friday at the retirement home where he lives in Lakeland, Florida.

The US Justice Department said Markle allegedly "kept child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades."

Markle could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

British tabloids reported last month that pictures of child sex abuse had been found at Markle's former home in the Philippines, allegations later confirmed by police in the Southeast Asian country.

He denied those allegations.

Meghan released a statement saying she was "deeply distressed" by the accusations, adding she had blocked contact between him and her children Archie 7, and Lilibet, 5, over previous "troubling and disturbing" allegations.

'Call to action'

Tuesday's event, hosted by Spanish MEP Antonio Lopez-Isturiz, highlights the "urgent need to make the digital world safer for every child", a statement said, adding it was a "call to action" for policymakers, technology companies and society to do more to protect children.

The installation shows 50 enlarged images of children who died as a result of harm they suffered on social media, taken from their parents' lock screens.

Harry and Meghan quit royal duties in early 2020, but carry out similar activities in a private capacity.

On Sunday, Harry attended a Remembrance Day event in a small town, while his father King Charles III led the nation in a two-minute silence at the Cenotaph in London honouring soldiers killed in the line of duty.