Harry delivers online safety speech alone after Meghan pulls out
Meghan Markle withdrew from a planned online child safety appearance after her father was charged with possessing child sexual abuse images, and Prince Harry delivered the address alone at the European Parliament.
How it was covered
- Sky News carried 65% of the airtime and concentrated on Meghan's emotional withdrawal and Harry speaking alone in Brussels.
- GB News concentrated on opinion on Meghan's decision, Met letter and European Parliament invite.
- ITV concentrated on withdrawal from Brussels speech and Thomas Markle charges.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC One, BBC Two and Channel 4: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, pulled out of a planned online child safety appearance at the European Parliament in Brussels. ITV News reported that she would still travel to Brussels with Prince Harry but had said she was not strong enough to speak.
The couple were due to attend the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial, which Sky News described as an art installation honouring children who died after online harm. Laura Bundock, Sky News's correspondent in Brussels, reported that Meghan met families who had lost children through online harm and looked visibly upset as she left the room. ITV News and GB News described the appearance as a planned joint speech, while Sky News said Meghan had been due to introduce Harry rather than give the keynote address.
The withdrawal followed the arrest and court appearance of Meghan's father, Thomas Markle Sr. ITV News reported that he was arrested at his care home in Florida, taken to court and charged by the FBI with possession of images of child sex abuse, allegations he has denied many times. Sky News reported that he had been released on bail after appearing in a US court accused of possessing child abuse material.
Sky News reported that Prince Harry delivered the keynote address alone. Chris, ITV News's correspondent in Brussels, reported that Meghan had had a very difficult weekend. ITV News said the Brussels event was the first time the couple had been seen in public together since a visit to Nottingham last month. Sky News said it was their first official trip overseas since they moved back to the UK in August.
GB News's late programme said Meghan was entirely right to pull out, with a speaker calling her decision the realest thing from her camp and praising her as a good mother. It also questioned why the European Parliament had invited the couple to speak on online child safety. GB News reported that the Metropolitan Police had told Meghan not to bring up a letter because it might interfere with an active investigation.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 3 channels | |||
| Meghan withdrew from a joint speech with Harry on online child safety but still planned to travel with him to the European Parliament in Brussels, reportedly because she was not strong enough to speak. | |||
| The event was linked to the Lost Screen Memorial at the European Parliament in Brussels. | Reported by ITV | ||
| Thomas Markle Sr was charged by the FBI with possession of images of child sexual abuse, a charge he has denied. | |||
| Reported by a few · 2 channels | |||
| Prince Harry was still due to speak at the event. | Not reported by ITV | ||
| The Metropolitan Police wrote to Meghan in 2019 and advised her not to discuss a letter because it could interfere with active investigations in the US and the Philippines. | Reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Only on one channel | |||
| Meghan met families bereaved by online harm. | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV1 treated the withdrawal as a straight news story from Brussels, with correspondent Chris explaining the decision and the charges against Thomas Markle Sr. It stressed that Meghan would still attend but not speak, and placed the trip in the context of the couple's first public appearance since Nottingham.
- “She will still travel to the European Parliament in Brussels with him, but says she is not strong enough to speak.”
- “her father, Thomas Markle Sr, was arrested at his care home in Florida, taken to court, charged by the FBI with the possession of images of child sex abuse allegations, which he has denied many times.”
- “it will be, Tom, the first time that we've actually seen Harry and Meghan in public since they were in Nottingham”
GB News used the story as a launch pad for opinion. The presenter said Meghan was right to pull out and praised her as a good mother, while also questioning why the European Parliament had invited the couple and criticising Meghan more broadly. It spent time on the Metropolitan Police letter and the timing of the FBI arrest.
- “I don't often praise Meghan Markle, but I think on this one she is entirely in the right”
- “why is the European Parliament getting Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to talk about online child safety?”
- “she will no longer deliver a planned speech on Tuesday about online child safety because she's not strong enough”
Sky News provided rolling live coverage from Brussels, with correspondent Laura Bundock focusing on Meghan's emotional state and the Lost Screen Memorial. It clarified that Meghan had been due to introduce Harry rather than deliver the keynote, and reported that Harry spoke alone. It also noted the first overseas trip since the couple moved back to the UK.
- “Prince Harry instead delivered the speech by himself”
- “she's simply not up to it. It's all been a bit much”
- “She looked visibly upset, I think, as she walked out of a room where she's just met families who've lost children through online harm”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 09:16 GMT
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Mornings with Ridge and Frost · Tue 10 Nov
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.