Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s New Vacation is Angering Locals in Portugal
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle apparently have a new summer home — and no it isn’t another California mansion. The couple have reportedly bought a stunning £6.3 million beach house in Portugal.
The couple, who famously decided to leave the royal family behind in 2020, haven’t owned a home in Europe since 2023. Instead, they’ve been living in Montecito, California, with their children Archie and Lilibet.
Their new holiday home is reportedly in one of Europe’s most-exclusive and luxurious communities — the CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club — a collection of 300 properties spanning 722 acres and boasting of nearly a mile of untouched coastline.
The Mirror reports that the new property is close to the summer home of Prince Harry’s cousin Princess Eugiene and her husband Jack Brooksbank. Prices of homes here start at $4.7 million, meaning all buyers qualify for Portugal’s Golden Visa.
This would allow both Prince Harry — a post-Brexit UK national — and Meghan Markle — who was born in the US, and never applied for British citizenship — to enter and exit the Schengen area freely.
But as per some reports, not everyone is pleased with their new celebrity neighbors — or anyone with homes in this exclusive club, really.
According to one publication, the community has earmarked large stretches of beach as “private” land, effectively snatching it away from the locals.
The publication also reports that Portugal once had a law making it illegal to restrict access to public beaches. It quotes local residents as saying that the club would be the “worst thing to happen to the Portuguese coast” and that it had destroyed a huge chunk of Portuguese land to cater to the rich and famous. Many others are furious
The town of Melides was touted to be the country’s next big beach town in 2022.
Back then it was known specifically for its untouched beaches and quaint mom-and-pop restaurants. However, over the last few years, the land has transformed into a playground for the rich and famous — with luxury real estate developers taking up huge swathes of land for their celebrity clientele.
The CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club has been called the “Hamptons of Portugal” and is expected to be the next big San Tropez or Ibiza.
Several celebrities already own properties in the complex. Among Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s neighbors will be American actors Sharon Stone and George Clooney, who are reportedly building multi-million dollar properties on the shoreline. The new house is also in close proximity to where pop-star Madonna often goes horse riding.
Despite acquiring this stunning property Prince Harry and Meghan will reportedly continue living in their $14.65 million California home.
