Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made their first public appearance on Tuesday since her father’s arrest on suspicion of possessing images of child sexual abuse.
Harry urged tech companies to be more transparent about issues involving children as he spoke at the European Parliament in Brussels during the opening of a memorial to children who have died as the result of harm suffered on social media.
The Lost Screen Memorial features replicas of oversized smartphones with the photo of a child on each home screen.
The Duchess of Sussex was originally scheduled to speak alongside Harry but withdrew because she was not “strong enough emotionally,” a person familiar with her reasoning told The Associated Press.
Meghan still accompanied her husband to the event and they were photographed arriving at the European Parliament.
During his speech, Harry appeared emotional as he told social media companies to avoid showing children content they would not show their own children.
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“I’m not here as an expert or a politician. I’m here as a father, my wife, as a mother and together, as a couple who stand alongside parents like Sandra, Megan and Sewell — in New York, Los Angeles, Geneva and now Brussels. Parents who never imagined they would have a reason to be in rooms like this,” he said, as he made reference to parents who believe their children have died as a result of online harm.
He also told the companies to be more helpful to parents who are seeking access to their children’s smartphones and social media accounts to help them understand what they were doing online.
“For many parents, even though their child killed themselves, they’ve had to wait years – in some instances, eight years – to get access to their child’s phone,” Harry said. “Because of the company’s privacy policies, the parents were blocked from finding out how their child died. That cannot be right.”
The trip to Brussels comes after Markle’s father was arrested Friday morning by federal agents in Florida on charges related to child sexual abuse material.
Thomas Markle Sr. was arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging he kept child sexual abuse material, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades, according to the FBI.
Markle Sr. is charged with one count of possession of child pornography and made his initial appearance Friday in United States District Court in the Middle District of Florida in Tampa.
After his arrest in Polk County, Markle Sr. appeared in federal court in Tampa and was released back to a senior care center with the condition that he be electronically monitored, according to The Associated Press.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Lindsay Griffin also ordered a psychiatric exam, saying Markle Sr. might be unable to understand the proceedings or properly assist his lawyer.
“Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law.”
FBI special agents searched two storage units registered to Markle Sr., who has rented the units in Los Angeles since 2008, with his most recent payments on both made last month by auto-pay, according to the FBI.
If convicted, Markle Sr. would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, according to the FBI.
Markle Sr.’s arrest comes after The Sun, a British tabloid newspaper, reported that Meghan’s half-brother allegedly found images while cleaning out the home of their father in the Philippines.
Meghan’s father denied the allegations against him in a statement to the Daily Mail, saying, “I’m shocked, I’m hurt and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me.”
“I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of,” he added.
The Duchess of Sussex said she was “deeply distressed” by allegations that a collection of child sexual abuse images had been found at her estranged father’s former home.
— With files from the Associated Press
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