We can safely assume Meghan Markle’s wedding planning process isn’t exactly what you’d call ordinary. What with all the staff, and the castle, and the 800 guests, and the father-in-law being next in line to the throne of Great Britain.
Oh, and don’t forget the mock hostage situation. There’s also that.
According to British newspaper, Daily Express, the 36-year-old former actor recently spent two days undergoing gruelling security training in order to prepare herself for threats she may face as a member of the Royal family. Including kidnapping.
The Mamamia Out Loud team discuss why everyone is in love with Meghan Markle. (Post continues below.)
Gerald Moor, a former senior Army intelligence officer, told the outlet that the program, which is carried out by elite SAS operatives in Herefordshire countryside, is “devised to frighten the life out of anyone”.
“The men enact a kidnap situation, during which [Markle] will have been treated as a hostage, with the area being stormed by the SAS. She will also have been advised how to develop a relationship with her kidnappers, which is often far better than trying to escape,” he said.
“She will have been shown how to deal with situations when things go wrong, for example if her close protection officer gets shot and she has to fend for herself.”
The process will reportedly involve live ammunition so that the Californian-born woman knows what “real gunfire sounds like”.
While they are guarded around the clock by members of the London Metropolitan Police Force’s Protection Command, all members of the British Royal family undergo some form of training to prepare them for high-stakes security situations.