Meghan Markle cancels major child safety speech ahead of trip with Prince Harry after dad Thomas’ arrest: ‘Not strong enough’

See more of our coverage in your search results. Meghan Markle canceled a speech about child safety after her father, Thomas Markle Sr., was arrested on a child pornography charge. The Duchess of Sussex was set to deliver a keynote speech at the Lost Screen Memorial, an exhibition to honor children who have died as a result of online harm, at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday. “She’s just not strong enough, emotionally, to be doing any public speaking right now,” an insider told the Telegraph on Monday. Meghan Markle (seen above) canceled a planned child safety speech in Brussels after her father, Thomas Markle Sr., was arrested on a child pornography charge. / SplashNews.com Thomas Sr. (seen above) was arrested on Friday. BACKGRID However, Meghan, 45, is still set to appear with her husband, Prince Harry, 42, at the event, and the latter is still scheduled to deliver his speech. The source claimed the hope was for the Duke of Sussex’s words to be understood in the context of Thomas Sr.’s arrest. The “Suits” alum and Harry will walk through the art installation before the latter’s panel discussion. Meghan (seen here) was set to speak at the Lost Screen Memorial in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday. Getty Images for Balenciaga “She’s just not strong enough, emotionally, to be doing any public speaking right now,” a source told the Telegraph on Monday. AFP via Getty Images The memorial features 50 phones with lock screens of children who have passed away as a result of harmful side effects of social media. A rep for the couple wasn’t immediately available to Page Six for comment. Thomas Sr. was arrested on Friday following an investigation in the Philippines last month, where he faced allegations of possessing child sexual abuse material. The Duke of Sussex (seen here) will still speak. / Shutterstock Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attend a wheelchair curling event at the Hillcrest Recreation Centre in Vancouver on Feb. 9, 2025. Zak Hussein / SplashNews.com Want more celebrity and pop culture news? Start your day with Page Six Daily. Thanks for signing up! Thomas Sr. was detained at the Maravida Senior Living care home in Lakeland, Florida, after authorities searched his storage units on Oct. 30 and Nov. 4. He appeared in court shortly after his arrest and was sent back to the care facility. When the allegations against Meghan surfaced, she told Page Six via a statement that she was “deeply disturbed,” explaining that the claims led to their estrangement. News broke last month that Thomas Sr. (seen here) was under investigation. NGRE / BACKGRID Meghan (seen here) has spoken out against her father. as ever/ instagram Meghan shared she learned about the allegations against her father in 2018, when she initially received a letter from London’s Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection “Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine,” Meghan hopes that “justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children,” the statement read. Thomas Sr. has maintained his innocence, previously denying the allegations against him. If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226. Community Guidelines Welcome to the Page Six Community! Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space. In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will/might be rejected if it contains: Spam Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice: Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk So, how can you be a power user? Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across. 'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions! Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules. Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!