On November 10, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial installation at the European Parliament building in Brussels. The event marked Meghan Markle's first public appearance since the arrest of her father, Thomas Markle Sr., in the United States. Prince Harry delivered a scheduled speech, while the Duchess's performance was cancelled on the eve of the event.
First public appearance after father's arrest
On November 9, a spokesperson for the Duchess confirmed that Meghan would travel to Brussels with her husband, but her part of the speech was cancelled. According to a source for The Telegraph, after her father's detention, she did not feel emotionally ready for a public speech. Thus, only Prince Harry spoke at the memorial opening, although the speech was initially intended to be joint.
What the Lost Screen Memorial represents
The Lost Screen Memorial installation consists of 50 light panels in the shape of smartphones. The screens display portraits of children and teenagers whose deaths are linked by their families to experiences online. The installation was first presented in April 2025 in New York, and in November 2026 it was shown in Brussels as part of an event at the European Parliament.
Harry's call to tech companies
Speaking in Brussels, Prince Harry urged technology companies to be more transparent about the risks to children on their platforms. He emphasized that states must cooperate to ensure children are protected regardless of where they live. "A child's safety should never depend on what country they call home," the Duke of Sussex declared.
Context: the Thomas Markle case
The FBI arrested 82-year-old Thomas Markle on November 6 in Florida. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, he was indicted on federal charges of possessing child sexual abuse material. Following the hearing, he was released to an elderly care facility under electronic monitoring, and the court ordered a psychiatric evaluation to determine Markle's fitness to stand trial. According to Sky News, Meghan Markle previously stated that she has not spoken to her father since 2018, when he was first accused of sexual offenses.
