Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are forging ahead with their Brussels trip despite her father’s arrest, as canceling could deal a “debilitating” blow to their brand, according to an expert.
“I am sure Harry and Megan would rather drink hot lava than go to Brussels because many stories will highlight the Thomas Markel scandal, and Megan will be asked about it repeatedly on the tour,” branding expert Eric Schiffer exclusively told Page Six.
He continued, “But cancelling the visit for the Lost Screen Memorial, which honors children who lost their lives to online abuse and social media harm, would be far worse because the extra attention and questions would be debilitating to their brand.”
The chairman of Reputation Management Consultants believes the Duke and Duchess of Sussex should address the elephant in the room.
“Megan should address the federal charges in a statement consistent with her prior statement on October 23rd,” Schiffer advised.
While their plans to attend the event haven’t shifted in light of the scandal, the Telegraph reportedthat Markle will no longer be speaking because she is “not emotionally strong enough.” Therefore, Harry will give the speech while Markle will just be in attendance.
“I can imagine that this blistering horror show is extremely upsetting, embarrassing, and frustrating for Meghan, who is highly concerned about her brand and image,” Schiffer said. “At the same time, revealing that vulnerability and concern is very human and will create sympathy for her at a time when she can also benefit from it, since her brand is suffering body blows.”
Markle, 45, and Harry, 42, are scheduled to be in Belgium’s capital on Tuesday, marking their first joint overseas trip since they moved back to the UK in August after living in California for six years.
The couple will unveil the Lost Screen Memorial, honoring children who died as a result of social media-related harms, after previously showcasing the installation in New York City last April and Switzerland in May.
Their appearance will come just days after Meghan’s estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., was arrested for possession of child porn in Florida last Friday.
Reports surfaced last month that Thomas Sr. was under investigation after his son, Thomas Markle Jr., accused him of possessing a trove of child pornography. He denied the accusations, calling them “sick lies.”
Thomas was arrested by the FBI last week before being released under house arrest to the Maravida Senior Living facility in Lakeland, Fla., where he had moved just days earlier amid reports of a dementia diagnosis. However, the living facility did not let him back in and he is reportedly now staying with his daughter, Samantha Markle.
An insider exclusively confirmed to Page Six that Meghan and Harry would be staying silent about the arrest.
Meghan, who has been estranged from her dad since 2018, revealed that she had known about the allegations against Thomas Sr. for a few years.
“I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children was for one reason: to protect them,” Markle, who shares two kids with Harry, said in a statement on Oct. 23.
“I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families,” she added.
Page Six has reached out to Meghan and Harry’s rep for comment.
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