Prince Harry said that children “deserve to feel safe” wherever they are, during a speech at the European Parliament in Brussels. He spoke alone at the unveiling of the “Lost Screen” memorial, dedicated to children who died after suffering harm related to social media and the online environment.
“How did we get to a point where we can create technology capable of extraordinary things, yet still struggle to make it safe for a child?”, Harry asked. He stressed that he was not calling for a world without technology, but for an environment where every child can discover friendships, interests and communities without being exposed to danger.
“They deserve to feel safe, wherever they are. In the classroom. On the playground. At all times, regardless of where they are,” said the Duke of Sussex. He urged technology companies to be more transparent and to help parents who are trying to understand what happened to their children online.
Meghan Markle Attends but Does Not Speak
Meghan Markle attended the event but did not deliver her planned speech. According to the Associated Press, she withdrew from the address because she did not feel emotionally strong enough to speak publicly following her father’s arrest. Nevertheless, she accompanied Harry to Brussels and attended the unveiling of the memorial.
The appearance was the couple’s first public engagement since the arrest of Thomas Markle Sr. They arrived together at the European Parliament, while Meghan did not answer journalists’ questions about how she was coping with the situation.
Thomas Markle Sr., who is 82, was arrested in Florida on November 6. Federal authorities have charged him with possessing materials depicting child sexual abuse. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, agents seized around 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books, from two storage facilities in the Los Angeles area.
Markle was released after a court hearing and returned to a care facility for older people, with his whereabouts being monitored by an electronic ankle bracelet. He has pleaded not guilty. The federal charges contain allegations that remain to be proven in court, and the defendant is presumed innocent until a final verdict is issued.