The news that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have purchased a property in Portugal surprised many. Both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have repeatedly stated that they are supposedly delighted in California, where they moved after leaving Britain in 2020. The purchase of this rather expensive property raised even more questions because Meghan and Harry have recently faced a series of setbacks leading to financial losses. Meanwhile, the couple shelled out a hefty sum for their new home — nearly 8 million euros. This was reported by The Mirror.
The reason why they decided to take such a step has not been officially announced by the Prince and Duchess. However, a close reading of Harry’s memoirs reveals that the Prince had directly hinted at wanting to spend at least part of the year in Europe, for which, naturally, he would need a permanent residence there.
In his memoirs, Prince stated that his wife shares such a close friendship with Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter, Princess Eugenie, that they are “as close as real sisters.” As for him, he has become very good friends with Princess Eugenie’s husband, Jack Brooksbank. According to Harry, both he and Meghan would like to spend more time with Eugenie and her husband, who live most of the time near Lisbon.
At the same time, Royal Family expert Angela Levin told GB News that there was another compelling reason for Harry to buy a house in Portugal. According to her, it’s not that the couple was lured by the picturesque landscapes they would enjoy from their windows — they have plenty of that in California.
The real reason is that purchasing such a high-priced property would grant Meghan the right to visa-free entry to any EU country.
While Harry, who remains a British citizen, has no trouble entering European countries, Meghan, who is still a U.S. citizen, never acquired a British passport during her marriage.
However, things didn’t turn out quite as Harry had expected. The thing is, Princess Eugenie and Jack announced that in the future, they plan to spend most of the year in Britain. The couple explained that their sons would soon need to start school.
The Princess and her husband want their children to study in Britain, as they believe the education system there is far better than in Portugal. So, as it turns out, purchasing their new home is unlikely to give Meghan and Harry more opportunities to spend time with Eugenie and Jack in the future.