The “scary” training session involved her being bundled into a car by a fake terrorist and learning survival tactics. The Duchess of Sussex had to rehearse being kidnapped by a terrorist after she received a huge number of threats.
Meghan had to undergo the customary royal security training even before she married Prince Harry because there were extra concerns for her safety.
Finding Freedom, a biography of the couple published yesterday details how Meghan completed an “intense” two-day security course.
The course was carried out at SAS headquarters in Hereford.
The training is mandatory for all senior members of the Royal Family, except the Queen.
Meghan Markle heartbreak:Meghan had to undergo a staged kidnapping as part of her security training (Image: PA)
Meghan Markle heartbreak: The “scary” training session involved her being bundled into a car by a fake terrorist and learning survival tactics (Image: WENN)
The training provides preparation for “all high-risk security scenarios, including kidnapping, hostage situations, and terrorist attacks”, the book’s authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durant explain.
From the sounds of things it was a challenging experience, even for a professional actress.
“Meghan took part in a staged kidnapping, where she was bundled into the back of a car by a ‘terrorist’, taken to a different location, and then ‘saved’ by officers firing fake guns (the kind used in Hollywood filming) for realism,” the book says.
The authors added: “During the mock kidnapping, Meghan was even taught to develop a relationship with the enemy.
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Meghan Markle heartbreak: The Duchess of Sussex had to rehearse being kidnapped by a terrorist after she received a huge number of threats (Image: PA)
“She was also instructed on how to drive a car while in pursuit.
“A source said it was an ‘extremely intense and scary’ experience for Meghan, but one that she was grateful to have gone through.”
Harry’s fiancée wasn’t yet part of the Royal Family when she completed the course.
However, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge didn’t complete her training until after her marriage.
Meghan Markle heartbreak: Meghan had to undergo the customary royal security training even before she married Prince Harry because there were extra concerns for her safety (Image: GETTY)
Meghan Markle heartbreak: The course was carried out at SAS headquarters in Hereford (Image: GETTY)
However, the biography claims Meghan’s training had to take place earlier, as the couple had received an unusually high number of threats.
“‘There have been some absolutely terrifying and stomach-churning threats made to Meghan since she started dating Harry,’ an aide said.
“Unfortunately, they continued for some time.'”
Harry and Meghan even received a chilling death threat about their wedding day in May 2018.
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Royal Family tree (Image: EXPRESS)
An email sent to Prince Andrew 12 days before the wedding, claiming a bomb would go off at Windsor Castle.
The threat did not materialise, and Leicester man Mohammad Jibra-Eel Saleh was found guilty of malicious communications and detained in a hospital.
Palace security staff have previously voiced concerns for the couple’s safety after moving to the US.
The former head of royal protection Dai Davies warned he is “seriously concerned” for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s “immediate safety” when they moved to Canada.
Meghan Markle heartbreak: The training is mandatory for all senior members of the Royal Family, except the Queen (Image: GETTY)
Writing for the Daily Mail, Mr Davies said: “As members of the Royal Family, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have always faced complex and serious threats – from terrorists, criminal gangs, obsessed stalkers, unlicensed paparazzi and even from those they believed to be friends.
“Now the couple are severing their royal ties and plan to live outside Britain, those threats have multiplied and become much more difficult to guard against.”
The former head of royal protection described how Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s divorce “created huge safety issues” but Meghan and Harry “face dangers just as grave”.
He said: “Harry’s mother loved to act spontaneously, making it impossible to guarantee her protection.”
