Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle Underwent Intense Security Training to Join the Royal Family

• In order to join the royal family, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton apparently had to go through some very intense security training.
• According to Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family (opens in new tab), Meghan took part in a staged kidnapping that was an "extremely tense and scary experience."
• Kate reportedly completed the same program shortly after her wedding to Prince William in 2011.

Joining the royal family (opens in new tab) is a whole thing. In addition to the obvious things, like the royal protocols (opens in new tab) they have to learn and the insane media scrutiny (opens in new tab) they have to endure, hopeful royals-in-law also have to go through an almost bizarrely intense security training program.

In their best-selling royal biography, Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family (opens in new tab), authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand described the training Meghan Markle (opens in new tab) went through in her journey to the royal family, which is reportedly the same program Kate Middleton (opens in new tab) completed just after her royal wedding to Prince William (opens in new tab) in 2011.

"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," the authors wrote, according to People (opens in new tab). "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."

Unsurprising, a source close to Meghan told the authors that it was an "extremely tense and scary experience" for the Duchess of Sussex (opens in new tab). No kidding. It sounds like living the movie Taken (opens in new tab), which is to say terrifying and intense.