SAS soldiers had to train Meghan Markle how to deal with a kidnap attempt before she married Prince Harry, royal experts claim. According to reports, all members of the royal family are put through their paces at the special forces base in Hereford at some time in their lives.
But the Duchess of Sussex had to complete the 22 Special Air Service Regiment crash course before she married the Queen's grandson at St Georges Chapel, Windsor in May 2018. Sources say she had to sign up for the two-day course by the British Army's most elite unit due to the "unusually high" number of threats against the pair, reports Gloucestershire Live.
Meghan was taught how to drive in a car chase and how to use the vehicle as a battering ram until help arrived. She would have also been taught essential skills such as noticing anything unusual, passing on coded message and building relationships with kidnappers.
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The claims come from new book Finding Freedom, co-authored by royal journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand. It says said: "Meghan took part in a staged kidnapping, where she was bundled up in a car by a 'terrorist,' taken to a different location, and then 'saved' by officers firing fake guns (the kind used in Hollywood films) for realism.
"During the mock kidnapping, Meghan was taught to develop a relationship with the enemy. She was also instructed on how to drive a car while in pursuit. "
According to the Sun, it would "frighten the life out of anyone". Former army intelligence officer Gerald Moor said the training would have been "the toughest, provided by the Army's finest… who have done everything imaginable during service in Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland."
The SAS is now based at Credenhill after moving out of Stirling Lines some years ago. Meghan's course was booked following months of speculation about the relationship which Harry did not confirm until November 8, 2016. At the time he asked for an end to the “wave of abuse and harassment" directed at his girlfriend.
After they announced their engagement on November 27, 2017, the couple claimed they were dogged by negativity. By the time they married the following year Meghan had taken a self defence course and Windsor Castle was reportedly surrounded by a ring of steel costing up to £30 million to protect the couple and their guests.
Bad feelings toward the Duchess escalated after Megxit and the Oprah Winfrey interview when she hinted that racism was behind negative perceptions of her. Prince Harry now says his family, including children Archie and Lillibet, cannot visit the UK without special protection.
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