Meghan Markle's Former Bodyguard Describes Her Difficult Entrance Into The Royal Family

© Wpa Pool/Getty Images Meghan Markle posing

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, began dating, things were difficult in the public eye almost immediately. The couple recently shared details of their complicated courtship in their Netflix documentary series, "Harry & Meghan."

Most notably, the royal couple experienced clashes with the British press and with Meghan's new royal family members, paired with harsher judgment due to her race. Harry shared how his family responded to the press coverage, noting that other royals felt the experience "was almost like a rite of passage. [They said] 'My wife had to go through that, so why should your girlfriend be treated any differently? Why should you get special treatment? Why should she be protected?'" Harry responded, "I said, 'The difference here is the race element.'"

From there on, Meghan experienced several bumps in the road with her new royal in-laws, and she struggled to find acceptance within the family (via Us Weekly). Now, a former bodyguard who worked closely with Meghan is speaking up about how difficult an adjustment she had when settling into royal life.

Meghan's Former Bodyguard Recalls The Early Days Of Her Time With The Royals

© Alan Fraser Images/Shutterstock Meghan Markle smiling

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, announced that they were stepping away from their royal duties in 2020. They stated that they struggled to feel safe with the vicious press coverage and the drama within the royal family (via Vogue).

As a result of their safety concerns, Meghan had a large team of bodyguards. Recently, one of those bodyguards, Steve Davies, spoke with "Breakfast Television" and gave details about her difficulties with the royals.

"Once the announcement that Meghan and Harry were dating everything just took off ... NBC studios contacted me and asked if I was available to provide security protection for Meghan because things were just getting out of control. It was death threats coming in, [paparazzi] were trying to get into the studios," Davies shared. "It went from three paparazzi outside the house to 50 paparazzi and a satellite truck and everything else."

He added, "It was very, very difficult for her to go from being a celebrity on a show to being part of the number one family in the world." Remembering the chaos of the time, he recalled, "She couldn't go shopping or anything else ... we were getting chased by vehicles of the paparazzi ... dangerously close." Davies said that "physiologically for Meghan, it was stressful."

Davies added that the police had no obligation to protect Meghan, and she relied on her team of bodyguards to keep her safe during this difficult time.

Read this next: Inside Prince William And Meghan Markle's Relationship