Prince Harry, Meghan Markle eye ‘Golden Visa’ in Portugal as royals feel boxed out of UK home: expert
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly purchased a vacation home in Portugal, where Princess Eugenie lives part time with her family
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to be laying down roots overseas.
The U.K.’s DailyMail reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex bought a vacation home in Portugal. The couple currently resides in the wealthy, coastal city of Montecito in California with their son Prince Archie, 5, and daughter Princess Lilibet, 3.
A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The U.K.'s DailyMail reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex purchased a summer home in Portugal. (Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
Several royal experts, who’ve heard whispers of the reported purchase, told Fox News Digital that the location is an ideal choice for the pair.
According to reports, King Charles III evicted the pair from Frogmore Cottage, their U.K. home, shortly after Harry’s tell-all, "Spare," was published in January 2023.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The number of people inside the royal family who are willing to proclaim their friendship for Harry and Meghan has dwindled to practically nothing," Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," claimed to Fox News Digital.
According to reports, King Charles III hasn't responded to Prince Harry's calls or letters. (Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
"No one wants to run afoul of the king and Prince William – it's that simple," Andersen claimed. "Somehow Prince Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie, who has a home in Portugal, has been able to straddle the fence – to remain in the king's good graces but also not turn her back on the Sussexes. Obviously, Harry and Meghan are very grateful for the loyalty Eugenie has shown."
Prince Harry has a close relationship with his cousin Princess Eugenie, who splits her time between Portugal and London. (Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
"Purchasing a villa in Portugal has more to do with being close to a royal family member who is still genuinely fond of them than it does with being geographically closer to Great Britain," he claimed. "Maybe in the future Eugenie, who also remains close to William and his wife Kate Middleton, could also play the role of go-between. But any scenario like that seems an awfully long way off."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Princess Eugenie, seen here with her husband Jack Brooksbank, is the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
"At the moment, King Charles and, in particular, Prince William show no signs of being interested in any sort of rapprochement," Andersen added.
According to the DailyMail, Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, own a home in CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club, a luxury development of 300 properties by the sea in Melides.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Melides beach in the Alentejo region in Portugal. (Luis Davilla/Cover/Getty Images)
Jack, 38, works in marketing and sales for CostaTerra, the outlet shared. The couple and their two sons, August, 3, and Ernest, 16 months, split their time between Portugal and London.
"Eugenie has always been very close to both Harry and Meghan," said Andersen. "It comes as no surprise that the Sussexes would find the idea of owning beachfront property at… [the] exclusive Portuguese resort appealing. The fact that Eugenie and Jack have two young children doesn’t hurt either. When the Sussexes return to Europe as a family, they will likely make a point of stopping at CostaTerra so Archie and Lili can play with August and his little brother Ernest."
Sources claim that Prince Harry wants to visit his home country more often. (Dominic Lipinski/PA Images via Getty Images)
"It will be interesting to see if CostaTerra becomes the new Mustique, the Caribbean Island paradise that celebrities like Mick Jagger and David Bowie once flocked to after the late Princess Margaret took up residence there," he said. "That royal fairy dust is pretty heady stuff."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Princess Margaret, center, is seen here with friends Lady Ann Tennant and Lord Colin Tennant at Mustique. (Ron Bell - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
Queen Elizabeth II gave Frogmore Cottage to the couple as a wedding gift in 2018. However, the home required renovations, which resulted in the Sussexes living there for only several months before they stepped down as senior royals in 2020.
Royal accounts for 2019 showed that $3.2 million was spent renovating the house, which involved structural work, rewiring and new flooring. The couple agreed to pay back the money as part of their royal exit. In September 2020, a spokesperson for the couple announced that Harry had repaid the British taxpayers’ money that was used to renovate the home.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were said to be "stunned" after King Charles evicted them from Frogmore Cottage. (Matt Dunham - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
"Finding Freedom" author Omid Scobie previously told Yahoo! News that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were "stunned" after the king, 75, evicted them from the royal home.
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Frogmore Cottage was the U.K. home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. (GOR/Getty Images)
According to Scobie, the couple was given the royal boot by the king, who was "spitting mad" after "Spare" hit bookshelves. Communication between Harry and his family has also reached "an all-time low," Scobie wrote.
"It all feels very final and like a cruel punishment," a friend of the couple told the outlet. "It’s like [the family] wants to cut them out of the picture for good."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}WATCH: MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY DISLOYAL FOR TRASHING ROYAL FAMILY, NEED TO FIND THEIR OWN IDENTITY: EX PAL
The estate, which is a five-minute walk from Windsor Castle, used to be considered the Sussexes' "only sufficiently secure refuge in the country." The pair lost access to police protection in the country after they stepped down as senior royals.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020. (Juancho Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"Portugal is considered one of the safest places in Europe, which will resonate with Prince Harry’s paranoia that everyone is out to get them," British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital. "Many people are settling in Portugal due to tax breaks and quality of life. The stunning beaches will also appeal to Prince Harry’s surfing passion."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meghan Markle, an American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex after she married Britain's Prince Harry in 2018. (Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images)
"Portugal is also a few steps closer to the U.K., which is a promising sign that they hope to work toward peace with the royal family," she pointed out. "Accessibility to Europe will also help maintain and foster connections with a wider reach… I don’t feel Prince Harry will return to royal life in the U.K., but [this home] in Portugal allows him to improve relations with the royal family and visit the U.K. more regularly."
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View of the gate of the estate where Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have their house in Montecito. (Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images)
"Harry and Meghan have decided to buy a property in Portugal after having a secret three-night stay with Eugenie and Jack," royal expert Ian Pelham Turner claimed to Fox News Digital. "If anything should happen to King Charles, who is still recovering from cancer, then it is a shorter distance to travel to see him."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave a televised interview to Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, a year after their royal exit. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Harry has had a strained relationship with his family since he and Meghan quit royal duties. At the time, the couple said the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British press were what prompted them to step back as senior royals.
The father of two has since detailed his rocky relationship with his family in TV interviews, a documentary and his memoir. The couple have also aired their grievances against the monarchy in interviews and their Netflix docuseries.
Meghan Markle, an American born in California, never obtained British citizenship. (Kirsty Wigglesworth - Pool /Getty Images)
Andersen pointed out that there’s another perk Portugal offers to the Sussexes, specifically Meghan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I think a lot of people will find it hard to believe that Meghan was not automatically accorded British citizenship when she married Prince Harry in 2018," he explained. "She was informed that, for her to gain citizenship and a U.K. passport, she would have to apply like anyone else and that it would take at least a year."
King Charles is battling an undisclosed form of cancer. (Isabel Infantes/AFP via Getty Images)
"By contrast, Portugal offers a ‘Golden Visa’ to wealthy investors in Portuguese real estate," said Andersen. "The Golden Visa is more than just a status symbol, although it certainly is that. It enables the ultra-rich to travel throughout Europe unhindered… Not having to be dependent on a single passport is just another way for the wealthy to hedge their bets."
MEGHAN MARKLE AND PRINCE HARRY'S FROGMORE COTTAGE EVICTION: EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT ROYAL HOME
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were reportedly evicted from Frogmore Cottage shortly after the publication of Prince Harry's memoir "Spare." (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)
"Meghan, being an American, never completed the application for British nationality initiated before her marriage to Harry," said British royals expert Hilary Fordwich. "Purchasing a home in Portugal may well enable the couple to acquire a Golden Visa, which allows those who make investments in the economies of participating countries to gain legal rights there. It grants free access to the Schengen Area within the European Union."
"Portugal has a visa scheme where purchasing property above a certain threshold allows the owner to apply for a visa without a long residency requirement," Fordwich added.
"By contrast, Portugal offers a ‘Golden Visa’ to wealthy investors in Portuguese real estate. The Golden Visa is more than just a status symbol, although it certainly is that. It enables the ultra-rich to travel throughout Europe unhindered."
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games at Merkur Spiel-Arena on Sept. 16, 2023, in Duesseldorf, Germany. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)
Harry and Meghan visited Eugenie and Jack in Portugal in 2023, immediately following the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, Germany, that September, People magazine reported. According to the outlet, Jose Santos, head of the Alentejo Tourism Board, confirmed that Harry and Meghan had enjoyed a "short stay" at CostaTerra.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prince Harry is still fighting to obtain his security in the U.K., which he lost after his royal exit in 2020. (John Nacion/Getty Images)
On average, non-stop flights between Portugal and England take between 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours, the outlet shared. Sources close to Harry also indicated that he had expressed a strong desire to travel to his home country more frequently to visit family and friends, as well as support several charities he’s still closely connected with since his royal exit.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.