Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s secret trip to see royal family member

Details of the “mega-secret operation,” which saw them make a detour on their way back to California from Germany, have now been revealed.

Harry and Meghan. Picture: Backgrid; AAP

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly undertook a “mega-secret operation” to visit his cousin, Princess Eugenie, in Portugal following the Invictus Games.

The event wrapped up on September 16, and according to Portuguese magazine Nova Gente, the pair made a detour to luxury resort in Melides, where Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, have a home.

Jack – who shares children August, 2, and Ernest, four months, with Eugenie – works in marketing and sales for the Discovery Land Company, based in the region.

“[Harry and Meghan] arrived in Portugal without their children and as soon as they landed, they headed to Alentejo and more precisely to Melides,” the Portuguese publication reported this week.

Meghan and Harry at the Invictus Games closing ceremony. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Local witnesses claim the couple left Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport on a British Airways flight to Heathrow - en route to Los Angeles - on September 20 to be reunited with their children, Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2.

“After the Invictus Games finished, on Saturday, September 16, the couple headed to our country for a lightning trip,” Nova Gente reported.

“And with the reserve that has characterised them since they abdicated their royal duties in 2020, Meghan and Harry preferred not to publicise, either through the press or through their social networks, this ‘romantic getaway’.”

Jack and Eugenie split their time between the UK and Portugal. Picture: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images

Fellow passengers told the magazine that the couple arrived at the airport in a white van, accompanied by two bodyguards, and that they were “smiling slightly”, while Meghan appeared “tired”.

“Meghan wore a three-quarter-length sleeve dress, flat shoes and discreet make-up,” the article claimed.

“Harry opted for a T-shirt which was a colour between green and blue, jeans and trainers.”

Details of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s quick visit to Portugal were also confirmed by the Daily Mail.

“The reports coming out of Portugal are accurate,” a source told the outlet.

Harry sat with Jack and Eugenie at the coronation in May. Picture: Aaron Chown/Pool/AFP

Eugenie and Jack were the first members of the royal family to meet Meghan when she first started dating Harry back in 2016, and they reportedly hit it off instantly.

The couple has remained firm supporters of Harry and Meghan amid their worsening rift with the rest of the royals – with Eugenie even visiting them in California, two years after they quit official duties.

Last month a source confirmed to People that Harry and Eugenie are still “best friends” and “talk constantly”.

Meghan and Eugenie attended a Halloween party together while she was secretly dating Harry. Picture: Netflix

Eugenie featured a number of times in their Netflix series. Picture: Netflix

But unlike the cousins’ close friendship, Harry is still at odds with King Charles and Prince William and, despite a stopover in London en route to the Invictus Games, did not spend any time with them.

Earlier this month, reports emerged that Harry had rejected an offer to spend the September 8 anniversary of the Queen’s death at Balmoral with his father.

According to The Sun, King Charles extended the invitation in what was seen as an olive branch amid years of worsening tension between his son and the royal family.

However, Harry – who was already in the UK for the annual WellChild Awards – turned him down, instead spending the morning of September 8 alone before heading to Germany for the Invictus Games.

The Sun also reports that the offer came after the Duke of Sussex put in a formal request to the King’s office for royal accommodation and security during his one-night stopover.

The publication claims he was informed by a senior aide that none of the family’s London or Windsor homes were available as most staff were in Scotland with the King and Queen Camilla.

Harry was instead given the opportunity to join them in Balmoral, in what would have been their first extended period together since the Queen’s funeral one year prior, but The Sun claims Harry cited a packed itinerary as the reason for not coming.