Prince Harry tried to prepare Meghan Markle for royal scrutiny before marriage

Prince Harry opened up years ago about trying to warn Meghan Markle about the intense scrutiny she would face as a member of the Royal Family, and a resurfaced interview shows just how much the couple underestimated what was coming.

The pair announced their engagement on November 27, 2017, and later sat down with the BBC, where Harry admitted he had attempted to prepare Meghan for the reality of royal life.

“I tried to warn you as much as possible,” he told her, “but I think both of us were totally surprised by the reaction after the first five, six months which we had to ourselves [and] what actually happened from then.”

Harry was referring to the quiet period the couple enjoyed before their relationship leaked to the press in late 2016.

The Duke confessed the two were “totally unprepared” for the relentless coverage that followed, while Meghan pushed back on assumptions that her acting career made her ready for the spotlight.

"I've never been part of tabloid culture. I've never been in pop culture to that degree and lived [a] relatively quiet life, even though I focused so much on my job."

According to Express UK, the duke had predicted at the time that Meghan would be “good” at being a working royal.

RELATED: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's 'final straw' that drove them out of UK