Contrary to previous reports of Meghan Markle being accused of reducing ‘grown men to tears,’ a former bodyguard paints a warm picture of the duchess.

Meghan Markle has been the subject of a string of controversial reports that have seen multiple staffers accusing her of stepping into the role of a “demon” with narcissistic traits. Some have even gone as far as dubbing her a “dictator in high heels”, per The Hollywood Reporter, owing to her alleged acts of relentlessly “bullying” employees, “screaming” at them, subjecting them to “emotional cruelty and manipulation” and “reducing grown men to tears.” With several staffers going on record about the Duchess of Sussex purportedly “treating people like sh*t,” the grand media narrative has conspicuously turned against her. Over a dozen employees have reportedly abandoned their posts since Markle and Prince Harry relinquished their ties with the British royalty and moved to California four years ago.

US actress Meghan Markle addresses the audience during the “Afro women and power” forum, at the Municipal Theatre in Cali, Colombia, on August 18, 2024. (AFP)

However, contradicting the existing rhetoric against Meghan, a former bodyguard’s confessions seek to turn the tide over. Steve Davies recently came forward with his detailed experience of working for the Suits alum in an interview with InTouch Weekly. As a person who had particularly witnessed Markle transitioning from her former lesser-known acting days to her reputation infamously blowing up in the media, he claimed that the duchess merely has a “bad rap” for being this “evil person in the royal family.”

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Meghan Markle’s former bodyguard from her Suits-era days speaks out

Having first crossed paths with her in 2018, Davies noted that he had seen her from “working at the studio to working with charities to working with dog walkers and cleaners.” He took away “one huge lesson” after working with her throughout that passage: “It’s give respect to get respect.”

Contrary to previous claims and a slew of staff exits, Markle’s ex-bodyguard spoke otherwise as he “felt sorry” for her more than anything else. NBC hired Davies to look out for the Suits star in Toronto, essentially making him a front-row witness to her journey from “being a celebrity to being a member of the biggest family in the world.” The bodyguard also remarked how “stressful” all the publicity was for her. His comments align with how the UK media “descended upon” Toronto at the time, as highlighted in the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan.

Constant surveillance made Meghan Markle ‘paranoid’

A month ago, Markle’s Suits-era two-story bachelorette pad in the Canadian city was sold for $1.89 million days after it hit the market.

The sale brought back memories of Meghan and Harry’s courtship days, as also recounted in Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand’s book ‘Finding Freedom’: “They had little time to think, because there were only a couple of paparazzi in Toronto but it wouldn’t be long before photographers flew in from New York and LA, all hoping to get that first picture of the happy couple.”

Similarly, Meghan recalled in the documentary how her rental home was constantly “surrounded” by photographers who’d be “waiting” for her “to do anything.” She added, “All the curtains were pulled, all the blinds were pulled. It was scary.”

Her former bodyguard also reiterated the sentiment in the new interview, saying how the whole ordeal had made her “paranoid.”

“We had people following us around everywhere we went. We had problems with drones, vehicles chasing us. It was a nightmare.”

The divide with Buckingham Palace

Numerous aspects of her life that she’d previously taken for granted were now a click away from becoming the headline of the day. The constant surveillance had her missing something as common as grocery shopping without people being up in her business. Davies recollected how the situation only worsened when she shifted to England, where her life drastically switched to being in a “goldfish bowl.”

As someone who had always been used to “control the PR herself with her team,” Markle’s autonomy was greatly reduced when Buckingham Palace took over controlling the narrative. Regardless of whether she was inside or outside, the duchess felt stuck, which even led her to admit that suicidal thoughts had consumed her at one point.

In her bombshell 2021 interview with CBS, Meghan alleged that switching to royalty curtailed her individualistic desires like lunching with her friends. “People within the Firm would say, No, you’re oversaturated, it would be best for you to not go out.’ I go, ‘Well, I haven’t left the house in months,” she said at the time.

Adding to that conversation, Steve Davies said that even going out was a big task for her as paparazzi “followed [her] around, jumping traffic lights, trying to get alongside the vehicle” from the moment she was romantically linked to Harry.

Meghan’s ex-bodyguard is ready to work with her again

The former British special forces soldier who is now managing partner of Focus One Group in Toronto added that during the duchess’ Toronto days, “Nobody had a bad word to say about her. Even with the pressure that she was under, she was warm and considerate all the time.” Considering the volume of adverse reports against Markle nowadays, Davies foregrounded that people are often surprised by “how friendly she is and what a big heart she has.”

With Buckingham Palace taking over the control of PR, presumable clashes may have arisen between Markle and employees, leading to comments that they “couldn’t stand working for her.” Nevertheless, what hurts Davies the most with these claims is that Meghan “would go out of her way to help people.” However, with her reputation having been set ablaze with allegations in the worst light possible, people have believe(d) [otherwise].”

When asked if Steve Davies would be willing to work for Meghan Markle, he replied positively, “She was a good person to work for, and she still is a good person.” He also maintained that he and his wife had even received an invitation to Meghan and Harry’s wedding, and they still wish each other on birthdays and holidays via email.

Another employee working for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on their side

Similar to Davies’ portrayal of Meghan, Ashley Hansen, who recently quit as global press secretary for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to start her own PR venture, told Us Weekly that when she previously needed time off for a major surgery, she was “met with the kind of concern and care a parent would express if it were their own child.”

Per Deadline, Hansel also expressed her gratitude to the couple after launching her firm: “I am incredibly grateful to The Duke and Duchess for their continued trust. Their unwavering support and belief in my new firm has been meaningful and is a testament to their leadership. I knew when they first hired me that they were giving me the opportunity of a lifetime and I couldn’t be happier to continue working together.”

Meanwhile, the duchess herself lauded Hansen, “We are so proud of Ashley, especially as a female entrepreneur. We look forward to having her focused expertise on our business and creative projects and her continued oversight of our communications team. My husband and I are excited to be alongside Ashley as she builds something extraordinarily special with her firm.”

The former  Global Press Secretary and Head of Communications for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may have launched her firm, Three Gate Strategies, but she is not getting rid of the Royals. In fact, she will continue to represent and advise them in addition to backing other new business ventures and projects.