She went from an aspiring actress to the Duchess of Sussex, and for a long time, Meghan Markle has not been a stranger to the limelight.
But when the Suits actress began dating Prince Harry, she was determined to keep things on the down-low while she worked out if he was The One.
The pair successfully kept their relationship underwraps for five months, making trips to see each other between Canada and London, enjoying cosy nights in at his Kensington Palace cottage.
But the reality was that they both knew it was only a matter of time before the secret was out and their perfect, private bubble burst.
When the word started to spread and the news that Harry had been secretly dating the actress was finally leaked, the couple had only a few hours to prepare before it appeared on the front pages.
But the realisation that this was 'her new life' "terrified" Meghan, claims royal journalists, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand.
In their unofficial biography Finding Freedom, the authors share details of what happened on the night the couple were told their time in hiding was up.
They wrote: "One night late in October in Toronto, Harry was happy, and so was Meghan. Until they received a call from one of Harry's aides at Kensington Palace. It wasn't good news.
"A tabloid was going to run with the story of their relationship. Their main worry was that her place would be besieged by photographers within 24 hours.
"They had little time to think because there was 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."
Harry was inundated with calls from staff who encouraged him to return to London as soon as possible since he had a smaller security team than normal. But, he refused to leave.
Scobie and Durand claim that while Meghan was nervous about what was to come, she was relieved that the secrecy and lies to friends and family would be coming to an end.
They said: "Prior to meeting Harry, the only times she experiences cameras were on a set or on a red carpet.
"The security was necessary. Shortly after the news broke, a photographer from an LA-based photo agency had scaled the fence into her back garden and waited for Meghan by her car, hoping to get a picture before she headed out to run errands.
"Meghan was terrified and called the police.
"'This is how it's always going to be, isn't it?', she said to a friend."
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