Meghan makes first public appearance since father’s arrest but withdraws from speaking | Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

The Duchess of Sussex attended an event to honor children who have died after being victims of online abuse, in her first public appearance since her father was accused of child sex offences.

Thomas Markle, 82, was arrested by FBI agents at a dementia care home, where he lived, in connection with possession of suspected child sexual abuse material. He was placed under house arrest on Saturday by a court in Tampa, Florida.

Federal agents had seized material from two Los Angeles storage units he had rented for nearly two decades after his son, Thomas Markle Jr., found alleged images of child abuse in his father’s belongings and reported him to police in the Philippines and the United States.

Meghan said she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations surrounding her father, from whom she has been estranged since planning her wedding in 2018. She made it clear she wanted to help the FBI, saying she would “absolutely cooperate” with any global authorities investigating her father, but would “very much like to”.

Meghan and Prince Harry were due to deliver a rare double speech on Tuesday at the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial at the European Parliament in Brussels to talk about the importance of children’s digital safety.

But despite attending the event, Meghan made a last-minute decision to pull out of speaking, with sources telling the Telegraph on Monday that she was “simply not strong enough, emotionally, to speak publicly at the moment”.

Meghan held Harry’s hand tightly when she arrived at the Paul-Henri Spaak building and did not answer reporters’ questions.

The Duke of Sussex then delivered the 20-minute opening speech alone. He stressed the importance of prevention, saying children should feel safe “at all times, no matter where they are,” and did not directly reference Markle Sr. He also criticized tech companies’ privacy policies, which prevent grieving parents from accessing deceased children’s phones to understand their deaths.

“Why, when we ask ourselves if this can keep a child safe, does everything suddenly become complicated?” he asked. “I’m not asking for a world without technology. It’s not possible, it’s not what young people want, and it’s certainly not what I want for my own children.

“My approach to life and its value has always been, unsurprisingly, focused on prevention. Preventing damage before it happens, rather than waiting for a tragedy before deciding something needs to change,” he added.

Meghan hugged Sandra Spitaels, who gave a speech about her 15-year-old son Glenn, who took his own life in 2017 after a nude image of him was posted online.

Harry appeared and asked Spitaels, “Are you okay?”

The Lost Screen Memorial, launched in New York last month, is a collection of images of young people whose deaths are believed to have been influenced by their online experiences. It is now screening in Europe and is supported by Harry and Meghan’s charity Archewell.