Harry and Meghan to open Lost Screen Memorial at European Parliament on 10 November

The planned visit

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, are expected at the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, 10 November, according to parliamentary sources and a spokesperson for the couple. The visit is an intergroup event rather than an official engagement, organised around protecting minors online by Antonio López-Istúriz, a European People's Party MEP. Roberta Metsola, the president of the Parliament, is set to take part. The couple's spokesperson said the trip would address the dangers of social media for young people. It will be the first public appearance by Meghan since the allegations involving her father became public.

The memorial and the programme

The centrepiece of the day is the unveiling of the 'Lost Screen Memorial', an installation created by the couple's Archewell Foundation. It consists of 50 illuminated smartphone screens showing photographs of children and teenagers whose deaths were linked to harmful experiences on social networks, with the images supplied by the families. The spokesperson described the memorial as both a tribute to the victims and a call to action aimed at policymakers, technology companies and society as a whole. According to Il Giornale, the couple will then deliver a joint speech lasting about twenty minutes. Harry is also due to join a roundtable titled 'Beyond Promises: Building A Digital Future That Works For Children', which will focus on concrete measures for safety in the digital space. A Belgian mother whose son died at 15 in 2017, after an intimate photo of him was shared online, is also expected to speak at the event.

The father and the investigation

Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, is under investigation in the Philippines over the suspected possession of a large collection of images of child sexual abuse, and over alleged abuse of young girls in Asia during past stays in that country. Stern reports that Meghan's half-brother contacted the authorities after finding such files, and Philippine police are examining the material. Thomas Markle denies having possessed any such material, and no criminal conviction has been handed down. Meghan commented on the allegations at the end of October and said she was deeply shaken. She has had no contact with her father for many years.

The couple's recent public profile

The trip would be the couple's first joint public appearance abroad since their return to the United Kingdom in late August, after six years in the United States. Il Giornale gives 26 August as the date of the return. Since then the couple have made only one joint public outing, in mid-October in Nottingham, while Harry has carried out several engagements alone for charities he patronises or supports. In April, during a trip to Australia, Meghan said she had been the target of harassment and attacks on social media every day for ten years. Citing Richard Eden's column in the Daily Mail, Il Giornale reports that the couple have also moved within the Cotswolds to a house for their exclusive use.

What is still unclear

Reports based on people familiar with the preparations say the programme and the names of everyone the couple will meet have not been detailed. It is not yet clear whether the visit will be a formal meeting, a thematic event or discussions with MEPs. No concrete outcomes or commitments from the talks have been announced.