Meghan Markle made her first public appearance on Tuesday since her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., 82, was charged with possession of child pornography, attending an event on online child safety at the European Parliament in Brussels while holding hands with her husband, Prince Harry.
Markle, 45, had been expected to deliver remarks at the event but withdrew, saying she did not feel “strong enough” given the allegations against her father. She walked into the parliament building dressed in black, declining to answer questions from reporters. When one journalist asked how she was feeling, she did not respond. Harry, 42, also made no comments.
The couple were attending the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial, an art installation that commemorates children who died as a result of harm suffered on social media. The exhibit includes 50 phones displaying lock screens belonging to children who died from the harmful effects of social media use.
Markle has not directly addressed her father’s arrest, though she previously said she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations and hopes “justice will be fully served.”
The case against Thomas Markle Sr. began after his son, Thomas Markle Jr., discovered the alleged material and reported it to authorities. Markle Sr. was arrested Friday at the Maravida Senior Living care home in Lakeland, Florida, and has since appeared in court. Prosecutors allege he stored child sexual abuse material in two Los Angeles-area storage units he had rented for nearly two decades.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that “Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions.”
According to the Justice Department, agents recovered 78 items from the storage units, including slides, film negatives and books containing suspected child sexual abuse material. Two images reportedly show an adult man identified by a witness as Markle Sr. with a nude prepubescent girl, while a third depicts a naked prepubescent girl in what appears to be a motel room in the Philippines. Additional photographs allegedly show Markle Sr. with children in various states of undress.
“Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls,” said Bill Essayli, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California. “These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law.”
Markle was wheeled out of his care facility by FBI agents at the time of his arrest and has since been released on bond under an order barring contact with minors. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
