The sunsets on the idyllic west coast of Portugal are particularly Insta-worthy right now and the weather suitably balmy. The charming fishing villages, luxurious gated resorts and miles of powder-white unspoilt beaches lure privacy-seeking A-listers such as Madonna and George Clooney.
So it came as no surprise when the Tróia Peninsula, aka ‘the Hamptons of Portugal’ or the ‘Malibu of Europe’ attracted star guests in the form of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who visited last autumn. What is surprising is that they’ve now bought a house there – just 90 minutes south of Lisbon.
That’s not to say Harry and Meghan are moving there permanently – well, not quite yet. They have, however, bought a holiday home to add to their property portfolio, which also comprises the £13m Montecito mansion where they live with Archie, five, and Lilibet, three. Why Portugal? First, they were introduced to the uber-exclusive CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club by Harry’s bestie (and cousin) Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, who live there part of the year – Jack also works in sales and marketing for the members-only resort, where properties start from around a rumoured €4m.
They were the first members of the royal family to meet Meghan, back in 2016, when Jack and Eug (as she’s known) flew out to Toronto to celebrate Halloween with her and Harry at Soho House. The couples have since become incredibly close. They lived next door to each other in Kensington Palace (Harry and Meghan at Nottingham Cottage, Jack and Eugenie at Ivy Cottage), they’ve holidayed together and the Sussexes sublet Frogmore Cottage to them after they moved to the US in 2020.
Fun-loving Eugenie has always made an effort to stay friends with Harry and Meghan, despite the toxic fallout and war of words from the Sussexes after they left The Firm. She’s been out to stay with them in California, appeared in home movie footage in their Netflix documentary and really wants her two sons, August, three, and Ernest, one, to grow up knowing their American cousins. The feeling is mutual – particularly since they are the only family members left on real speaking terms.
Archie and Lili may have the style of prince and princess and be sixth and seventh in line to the throne, but they have little cultural reference of what it means to be royal. Their childhood is a world away from that experienced by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. So for Harry and Meghan, to be able to spend time with their Windsor cousins in a totally secure, private and family-friendly environment is very important.
The other main reason for the house is a European base. You might have thought somewhere in the UK, perhaps the chi-chi Cotswolds (where they previously rented) would have been more logical, given that Harry has indicated he wants to spend more time here on his charitable ventures. But Meghan has made it clear, according to sources, that she does not want to return to the UK and Harry does not feel his wife and children are safe here.
The privacy laws in Portugal appeal to the Sussexes just as much as the cloistered gates and opulent yet laid-back lifestyle at Costa-Terra. Its website boasts that it epitomises ‘the simple luxury of natural European living’, with surfing, golfing on the Tom Fazio-designed course, healthy seafood- based cuisine and a wellness centre offering yoga, spa treatments and ‘bio feedback’: neuro-mapping technology that analyses stress factors. There is also a handy kids’ club and eco credentials trumpeted via a sustainability ‘masterplan’.
The Sussexes, who are used to running with a Hollywood crowd, would definitely find themselves rubbing shoulders with other high-end US buyers and holidaying celebrities. George and Amal Clooney are reportedly considering buying one of the CostaTerra lots. Other rumoured buyers include Sharon Stone, Paris Hilton and supermodel Gisele Bündchen.
The Portuguese move comes at a tricky time for the Sussexes – they are diversifying in terms of their professional brand (Meghan has her upcoming cookery show on Netflix and American Riviera Orchard brand; Harry his philanthropy) but a European base is still useful for their ‘quasi- royal’ tours. The new holiday home is not a sign that Meghan wants to spend more time in the UK. ‘She really really hated England,’ says journalist and royal biographer Tina Brown on American podcast The Ankler. ‘She didn’t get the culture, she just didn’t get it, and feels so rejected by England. But England feels very rejected by Meghan, so there’s an impasse there.’ Presumably, the duchess was not a fan of the rain either – the Malibu of Europe is much more her style.