Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s property portfolio expands after Portugal mansion purchase
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s global property portfolio is growing after a recent purchase. See where they have bought up and splashed their cash.
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They famously began life as a couple in Nottingham Cottage, the small and humble, two-bedroom abode next to William and Catherine’s palatial and far superior Kensington Palace apartment.
In his tell-all memoir Spare, Prince Harry revealed that his future wife Meghan Markle was less than impressed when she first visited him at his bachelor pad when they started dating in 2016.
Harry told readers how after glancing at his “shabby furniture”, Meghan, in true American style, likened his rough and ready dwelling to a college “frat house”.
What a difference eight years makes.
Now, in a sign of how far removed they are from their modest-for-a-royal beginnings, the Sussexes are believed have splashed out on a $7-million house in the coastal town of Melides in Portugal.
The house will be a luxury retreat for the pair alongside their main residence in the US, where they moved following their shock decision to leave the UK, a sprawling $21m compound in the A-list haven of California’s Montecito.
Never ones to do things by halves, their rumoured new house in Portugal is no ordinary holiday home.
Nestled in the luxury CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club resort in Melides, an hour south of Lisbon, the residence is part of a glitzy millionaire’s playground loved by the rich and famous for its privacy, far from the eyes of nosy tourists.
The exclusive area of Melides has been dubbed the “Hamptons of Portugal”, a label that the luxury-loving Meghan will no doubt be thrilled with.
Nearby amenities include a world-class spa, art galleries and restaurants run by A-list chefs.
Meghan’s favourite shoe designer Christian Louboutin, famed for his red-soled stilettos, lives in a huge property near Melides Lagoon and has built his own boutique hotel in the village.
Adding to its appeal, Harry and Meghan’s celebrity pals George and Amal Clooney, who famously attended the Sussexes’ wedding at Westminster Abbey, have also set their sights on a house within the resort.
Aussie stars Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are also said to have invested in a property in the area.
“The compound is so big you would never need to leave it,” an insider told The Times.
“It has masses of security and a golf course. The other people in there, it is rumoured though would never be confirmed, include Hollywood names and other American high net worth individuals.
“The area as a whole is the number one place for privacy in Europe, I would say. There are beautiful, landscaped hotels but if you have a house, you tend to entertain at home.
“The grandeur is discreet, from the road you would see maybe a decrepit gate but have no idea what’s behind it.
“You follow a dirt track and when you get to the house it is absolutely stunning.
“The houses are big but sparse: white walls, tables made from the wood from the garden, some have thatched roofs. It is very summertime bohemian.”
For Prince Harry, the house purchase has an added bonus — his cousin Princess Eugenie, one of the royal outcast’s few long standing supporters within his family, now lives in the resort after moving there with her husband, Jack Brooksbank, and their two young sons in 2022.
The daughter of Prince Andrew and her husband, who works in sales and marketing for CostaTerra, now split their time between Ivy Cottage, in the grounds of Kensington Palace, and Portugal.
Some royal experts have described Prince Harry’s desire to be in proximity to Eugenie as a “power move” that will see him forge a connection to the royal family as well as gain a new base in Europe.
The UK, it would seem, remains out of bounds for the Sussexes due to the harm caused by their explosive revelations and verbal attacks on the royals, which damaged Prince Harry’s relationships with King Charles and Prince William.
The Times noted that a house purchase in Portugal could be a shrewd move for the Sussexes because they would be eligible for a Portuguese “golden visa”.
This means if they stayed in the country for just seven days a year, they would qualify for visa-free travel across the Schengen area, which covers all of Europe apart from the UK.
This would no doubt appeal to Meghan, who seems to have no desire to ever return to the UK following the frosty reception she received from the royals at the time of the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
The rumoured new purchase is the latest in the impressive list of luxe properties that Prince Harry and Meghan have called home.
Their first residence as a married couple, Frogmore Cottage near Windsor Castle, was gifted to them by the late Queen for their wedding and underwent extensive renovations at Meghan’s request.
The overhaul, rumoured to have cost British taxpayers $4.7 million, included a state-of-the art kitchen, gym, yoga studio and baby nursery.
After a public outcry, the Sussexes eventually agreed to pay the money back as part of the plans drawn up when they quit as senior working royals in 2020.
The luxurious property is currently vacant as the scandal-plagued Prince Andrew refuses to move into the much smaller house.
King Charles is rumoured to be still fighting to evict his younger brother from the stately Royal Lodge in Windsor, the former home of the late Queen Mother.
The Sussexes’ main residence is still their opulent nine-bedroom Montecito estate, described by realtor.com as having 16 bathrooms as well as beautiful gardens.
Shortly after purchasing the home, Meghan revealed that the gardens were the reason the reason the pair fell in love with the property in the first place.
The Tuscan-inspired compound, located near Oprah Winfrey’s house, also includes a large pool, tennis court, chicken coop, tea house and an extensive children’s play area for Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
All in all, taking in their rumoured new purchase in Portugal, it’s a long way from the rustic two-bedroom abode where they first began their property journey as a couple.
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