Hollywood actress Meghan Markle, who became the Duchess of Sussex when she married British Prince Harry, has reportedly hired a new member for her security team.

The new bodyguard, who has not been named, previously worked for U.S. celebrity and socialite Kim Kardashian, according to the Daily Mail.

He was spotted by photographers while accompanying Markle and some friends on a hike over the weekend near the mansion she shares with Harry as a home in Montecito, California.

New Bodyguard Previously Worked with Kim Kardashian

According to the U.S. Sun, the unnamed bodyguard had previously served as security for Kim Kardashian, including in 2016 when the American celebrity was robbed at gunpoint during a visit to Paris, France.

Steve Stanulis, who also used to work as security for Kardashian, told the Sun of Markle's new hire, "These are guys who come from a small pool of elite bodyguards, from either police or military backgrounds."

"Usually if a guy is good enough to work for high-profile stars, it’s not unusual for them to be sought-after," he continued. "Not only for protection, but also for clout. It looks good."

"Kim’s security will be paramount. It’s no different for Harry and Meghan -- they are world-famous and equally as vulnerable," Stanulis added.

Problems With Troubled Pasts of Prior Bodyguards

Though the reports were not entirely clear, they nonetheless seemed to indicate that the new bodyguard for the Sussexes may be a replacement for their reportedly now-former head of security, Alberto Alvarez, over alleged concerns they had with his criminal background.

According to OK! magazine, Alvarez was hired by Harry and Meghan in 2022 despite some troubling incidents in his past, including the fact that he had been fired by Michael Jackson's family in 2010 over revelations about his criminal record after having served for five years as a bodyguard for the late pop singer.

Alvarez, who served as a key witness during the trial over Jackson's drug overdose death, was exposed for having a 2009 conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol, for which he had received probation and a fine, as well as for previously having a domestic violence complaint filed against him.

Interestingly enough, Alvarez is not the only convicted criminal that Harry and Meghan have hired to provide security for them, as Radar Online reported in Sept. 2022 on the controversy that erupted after they were spotted being guarded by an ex-Metropolitan Police Officer named Pere Daobry.

Daobry had been charged and convicted in a 2016 incident in which he nearly choked to death his then-wife, Sarah Jay, who later committed suicide.

The former officer had confessed to the crime and was not sentenced to serve any time in prison following his conviction.

Radar Online also noted that Alvarez had dodged serious trouble with the domestic violence complaint in 2000 when he agreed to a deal in which he pleaded guilty to a lesser crime of disturbing the peace and was sentenced to three years of probation and a fine -- the same sort of sentence he received for the DUI conviction.

New Guy Employed by Same Firm as Old Guy

The U.S. Sun reported that there is actually a connection between Markle's new bodyguard and her prior head of security, Alvarez, as both are said to be employed by the same private security firm, TorchStone Global, according to an unnamed source.

"Meghan and Harry have used a lot of different close protection personnel," the unnamed source told the outlet. "There have been some stresses based on concerns they have expressed."

The Daily Mail noted that the Sussexes could be paying as much as $1,800 per day for their elite security out of their own pockets, as the Royal Family stopped paying for their personal security details with U.K. taxpayer money in 2020 following their move to North America