Anytime the Duke and Duchess of Sussex travel internationally, palace officials openly throw tantrums and try to make those international travels all about the Windsors and the UK. Remember when Meghan went to the Balenciaga show last year? Palace officials raced to express dismay about Meghan going to Paris, which was practically England, according to them. One former courtier cried: “If they really plan to spend more time here, it changes everything. It puts them back in the frame, and that’s not what anyone expected.” LMAO – Meghan went to Paris once and they were already hyperventilating about how she would inevitably set up shop in London again. Anyway, I keep hearing echoes of those sentiments in the conversations about the Sussexes’ second home in Portugal. The first reports of their Portuguese villa were in 2024, but this month is the first time anyone had photo confirmation of the Sussexes spending any time in Portugal. So… what’s funny is that People Magazine’s sources seem to be slyly confirming that the Sussex family has visited Portugal several times in recent years.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s recent family vacation offered a rare glimpse into one of the most private corners of their lives: Portugal.
While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have long kept their time there largely out of the spotlight — and are thought to maintain a vacation home in the country — a source tells PEOPLE the destination has become a special retreat for the couple and their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
“They love Portugal because Archie and Lilibet can simply be kids,” the source tells PEOPLE. “It’s always very low-key with beach days, playing and spending time together as a family.”
The glimpse Meghan shared on Instagram on July 23 backed up that picture of life in Portugal. Her “summer holiday” photo carousel captured the family playing on the beach, wandering through colorful markets and local shops, and dining at tucked-away neighborhood eateries.
“That kind of normal family time is really important to Harry and Meghan,” the source continues.
The Sussexes have been linked to Portugal for several years, with reports suggesting they purchased a vacation home near the CostaTerra Golf & Ocean Club on the Alentejo coast. While they have never publicly confirmed those reports, the country has increasingly become associated with the family’s most private getaways.
Harry also has close family ties to Portugal. His cousin, Princess Eugenie, and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, split their time between the U.K. and Portugal after Brooksbank accepted a job there in 2022. The couple, who share sons August and Ernest, own a home at the CostaTerra Golf & Ocean Club, a luxury development on Portugal’s Alentejo coast south of Lisbon.
Portugal also offers a practical advantage. Just a roughly 2½- to 3-hour flight from the U.K., it allows the family to be far closer to Harry’s home country than when they’re in California. Sources close to the Duke of Sussex have long said he hopes to spend more time in Britain with family, friends and the charities and organizations he continues to support, though ongoing security concerns have complicated those plans.
See what I mean? This was not their first family trip to Portugal. They absolutely bought a home there a while back and they’ve vacationed there before this month with no leaks. Does this mean that the British tabloids are going to start sending paparazzi to Portugal? Surprisingly, I doubt it. Most people knew/believed that the Sussexes were in Portugal ahead of their UK trip, and none of those media outlets sent any photographers. No freelancers got photos either. Either the Sussexes are good at hiding, or the broke-ass British tabloids can’t afford to send people to stalk the Sussex fam. I mean, the Mail is already spending a fortune sending their reporters to Montecito every other month, so maybe that’s what’s taking up so much of the budget.
Additionally, I don’t think the Portuguese villa is about “staying close to England” or whatever. Sure, it’s nice to have a home base in Europe, but this isn’t about soft-launching a “half-in” return to the UK. It’s more about “Sussex Global” versus the Brexit-stagnated UK. I hope Meghan launches As Ever within the EU.
Photos courtesy of Meghan’s Instagram.
