Prince Harry and his wife Meghan arrived at the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday on a trip coming days after her estranged father was charged over alleged possession of child sexual abuse images.
A cluster of photographers awaited the couple, also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they entered the EU parliament for an event about the dangers children face on social media.
It was Meghan's first public appearance since her father Thomas Markle was arrested in Florida on Friday and charged with one count of possession of child sexual abuse material.
Dressed in all black with a small poppy pin -- the symbol of remembrance for soldiers who died in battle -- Meghan held tightly on to Harry's hand. The duke was dressed in a sombre dark blue suit, also with a poppy and dark-colored tie.
The couple projected calm, ignoring a question from the gaggle of journalists waiting at the parliament about her father, AFP said.
But later Meghan appeared smiling next to Harry as she met European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and Spanish EU lawmaker Antonio Lopez-Isturiz.
The visit also marks the first time the couple appeared together at a public event abroad, since returning to live in Britain this summer after six years in the United States.
The duke and duchess began their visit by opening an art installation honoring children who died because of online abuse and exploitation, dubbed the "Lost Screen Memorial".
They had been due to give a joint speech, but only Harry is now expected to speak. He will also take part in a panel event with international activists.
- 'Child safety' speech -
An unnamed source told the UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper that Meghan is "just not strong enough emotionally to be doing any public speaking" following her father's arrest.
An anonymous friend was quoted as saying in the Times that Harry will speak about "child safety".
"You can read into his speech what you will, and it can be taken in any number of ways," they said.
The 82-year-old Markle was taken into custody by FBI agents early Friday at the retirement home where he lives in Lakeland, Florida and has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric examination.
The US Justice Department said Markle allegedly "kept child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades".
Markle could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
British tabloids reported last month that pictures of child sex abuse had been found at Markle's former home in the Philippines, allegations later confirmed by police in the southeast Asian country.
He denied those allegations.
Meghan released a statement saying she was "deeply distressed" by the accusations, adding that she had blocked contact between him and her children Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, over previous "troubling and disturbing" allegations.
- 'Call to action' -
Tuesday's event, hosted by MEP Lopez-Isturiz, highlights the "urgent need to make the digital world safer for every child", a statement said, adding it was a "call to action" for policymakers, technology companies and society to do more to protect children.
The parliament installation shows 50 images of children who died as a result of harm they suffered on social media, taken from their parents' lock screens.
Harry and Meghan quit royal duties in early 2020, but still carry out similar activities in a private capacity.
On Sunday, Harry attended a Remembrance Day event in a small town, while his father King Charles III led the nation in a two-minute silence at the Cenotaph in London honoring soldiers killed in the line of duty.
