Since the 14th century, the nations we now know as the United Kingdom and Portugal have been military and commercial allies under the oldest international treaty still in force, the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of Windsor, signed in 1386.
But could the treaty, going back to England’s King Richard II, be in jeopardy because one of his very distant descendants, Prince Harry, has decided to buy a second home in Portugal?
OK, of course not. Still, a new report in a U.K. news outlet suggests that Harry and his American wife Meghan, renegade members of the British royal family who’ve been living in California, have decided to try and regain a foothold in Europe by buying a home in Portugal. Their possible aim, according to Daily Mail columnist Richard Eden, is to establish something like a court in Portugal that could position them as “royal rivals” to the British royal family.
Eden broke the story this week that Harry and Meghan were purchasing a home somewhere in Portugal and speculated that they could use this residence to launch commercial or philanthropic endeavors that give them a profile in Europe and even the veneer of being royal.
With a home in Portugal, the son and daughter-in-law of King Charles III could develop their plans to become “rival royals,” Eden wrote. In this capacity, they also could more easily undertake “quasi royal tours,” such as their trips to Nigeria and Colombia this year, Eden added.
Portugal’s historic cities and stunning coastline have become increasingly popular tourist destinations, including for Americans, the Robb Report said. The country also could be an appealing second home for Meghan because it could give her access to a “golden visa,” Eden said. These are visa programs that have been offered by some half dozen countries in the European Union since the Europe debt crisis of 2012, according to the New York Times. They’ve allowed wealthy foreigners — including Russians and Chinese — to obtain residency in Portugal, Spain, Greece, Ireland and other countries by investing in those country’s economies, often by buying high-end real estate. With a “golden visa,” non-Europeans can more easily travel to different countries within the European Union.
Harry and Meghan lost their foothold in Europe when they acrimoniously quit royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States, where they purchased a $14 million, nine-bedroom home in Montecito. In the months before Charles’ 2023 coronation, Harry and Meghan were asked to give up their their U.K. home, Frogmore Cottage, near Windsor Castle because the new king felt they hardly spent any time there. Royal observers also noted that the “eviction” came after the couple began to criticize the monarchy and royal family members, starting with their 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview and continuing with their Netflix docu-series and Harry’s 2023 memoir “Spare.”
Meanwhile, Harry has been engaged in a protracted legal battle with the U.K. government over its decision to deny him automatic police protection when he or his family visit his home country. He continues to return to the U.K. periodically for events involving the Invictus Games or other charities he’s involved in, but the fact that the couple chose to not purchase a second home in the U.K. suggests to Eden that Meghan has no intention of ever returning.
By buying a home in Portugal, Meghan “has found a way of keeping a foothold in Europe without actually having to set foot in Britain, where she is becoming increasingly disliked with every bitter utterance she makes against the royal family,” Eden wrote.
It’s also possible that Harry and Meghan chose Portugal, out of so many other European destinations with scenery, beaches and sunny weather, because Harry’s cousin, Princess Eugenie, and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, own a home in a luxury development south of Lisbon.
Despite Harry’s estrangement from his father and brother, Prince William, he reportedly remains friendly with Eugenie, the daughter of Prince Andrew. Eugenie’s husband works in marketing and sales for CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club in the oceanside community of Melides, and the couple split their time between Portugal and London, Eden said. It’s not known, though, if Harry and Meghan’s new Portugal property is located in the CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club, but presumably a high-end home there would offer them plenty of security and privacy.