Meghan Markle 'not strong enough' to give speech as she withdraws after latest update on father's arrest

Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.

Meghan Markle has pulled out of a planned speech because she is ‘not strong enough emotionally’ for public speaking following her father’s arrest.

The Duchess of Sussex is due to join her husband, Prince Harry, in Brussels on Tuesday (10 November) for an event about online child safety.

Both the duke and duchess had been due to give the keynote address to the European Parliament, but while Meghan will still attend the event with Harry, she will no longer be speaking.

It comes after her father, Thomas Markle Sr., appeared in court on Friday (6 November), charged with possession of child abuse material.

A source told The Telegraph: “She’s just not strong enough, emotionally, to be doing any public speaking right now.”

Speaking to PA, a spokesperson for the duchess confirmed: “The duchess is travelling with the duke to Brussels and will accompany him to the event but will not speak.”

Meghan will go to Brussels for the event but will no longer deliver a speech (Pool/Getty Images)

This event is the first time Meghan will have been seen in public since the allegations surrounding her father surfaced last month.

Harry’s speech, which is still going ahead solo, will take place at the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial, an art installation honouring children who have died after being subjected to harm online.

On 6 November, the US Justice Department said in a press release that Markle Sr., 82, had been arrested over allegations that 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.

He is charged with one count of possession of child pornography and is subject to home detention and electronic tagging following his release on bail after his court appearance on Friday.

Markle Sr., who is estranged from Meghan, came under investigation after he was reported to police in the Philippines and the FBI last month by his son, Thomas Markle Jr., who allegedly found illegal images in his father’s belongings in Cebu City, the Press Association reports.

It comes after Meghan issued a statement on her father's arrest (MEGA/Getty Images)

When the allegations first began to surface, Meghan said in a statement: "I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed.

“In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. That letter was subsequently shared with me.

“It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father, and I was given assurances that these were being investigated."

It continued: “I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason: to protect them.

"I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families. Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine, my sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children.”

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.