Mail: The Sussexes bought a home in Portugal & might have EU ‘golden visas’

The Daily Mail’s Richard Eden has got a scoop! He has an exclusive and he’s blaring it as loudly as he can. No, this is not some exclusive reporting on King Charles and Queen Camilla’s Australian flop tour. It’s also not about the Princess of Wales’s missing engagement ring, or Prince William’s mysterious weight loss. It’s not about poor Duchess Sophie and why royal reporters forget to cover her and her tours. No, Eden’s critical, journalistic eye will never deign to cover any of the left-behind Windsors. Instead, his big scoop is about some real estate purchased by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were evicted from their cottage at Windsor by King Charles, they were left without a home in this country. The California-based couple have, however, ensured that they retain a foothold on this side of the Atlantic.

The Daily Mail understands that Prince Harry and Meghan have bought a home in Portugal.

They are not the only royals who have a Portuguese property, with Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, owning a home in the CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club, a luxury development of 300 properties by the sea in Melides, south of the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. Mr Brooksbank, 38, works in marketing and sales for CostaTerra. He, Eugenie, 34, and their two sons, August, three, and Ernest, 16 months, split their time between Portugal and London.

The purchase of the home in Portugal may have allowed the Sussexes to acquire a so-called Golden Visa, under which they would have visa-free access to the European Union’s Schengen area. This could have been a major attraction to Meghan, who is a US citizen. When the couple got engaged in November 2017, Kensington Palace said Meghan would apply for British citizenship in due course, with a spokesman confirming that ‘she will go through the process [which] takes a number of years’.

Last year, it was reported that the Sussexes enjoyed a ‘romantic three-night break’ in Portugal after attending the Invictus Games in Germany. The couple are said to have flown from Dusseldorf to Lisbon before travelling an hour south to Melides in a ‘mega-secret’ operation. A source close to the Sussexes confirmed that they had been to Portugal. At the time, it was thought that they stayed with Eugenie and Mr Brooksbank, who have visited them at their home in Montecito, California.

[From The Daily Mail]

You can get an EU visa just by buying property in Portugal? I thought that was only for Monaco – as in, if you can afford an apartment in Monte Carlo, bam, you get citizenship in Monaco and an EU passport. I just looked it up though… Portugal’s Golden Visa program was phased out last year. So… I don’t know. When did H&M buy property in Europe? The “Schengen area” is basically all of continental EU countries. Which… doesn’t mean anything for the UK, because of Brexit. It would be hilarious if Harry and Meghan intentionally bought real estate in Portugal just so they could acquire EU passports and they would still not bother visiting England whatsoever.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.

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81 Responses to “Mail: The Sussexes bought a home in Portugal & might have EU ‘golden visas’”

  1. sevenblue says:

    But, the british media reported that they were divorcing. Was that a lie? 😂😂 Eugenie also lives there, right?

  2. Afken says:

    That the visa program ended last year shows how sloppy Richard is with his journalism. He’s the equivalent of Dan Wootten. A gossip blogger who is trying to become a journalist with “scoops” about the Sussexes.

    • Chloe says:

      Yeah i am not sure i believe any of this.

      And for those wondering: the only way for harry and meghan to get an “EU passport” is for them to become Portuguese citizens. I don’t see them applying for a citizenship there.

      • Danbury says:

        People can have multiple passports so it’s absolutely feasible. Dual-citizenship is not new

      • Chloe says:

        @Danbury: there is absolutely no logic behind applying for a Portuguese citizenship unless they plan on living there 50% of the time and with their children already in school in the US i really don’t see that happening.

      • Becks1 says:

        It’s feasible (I had a friend in college with four passports, lol) but I don’t think its necessarily likely in this situation. a possible but not probable kind of thing (regarding the EU passports.)

      • Danbury says:

        That’s not how dual citizenship works. You’re mixing up citizenship and residency, which are two very separate things. I have dual citizenship: two passports, but only one residency. I have a passport and also residency for the country I live in, but I also have a passport for the country I born in. I visit my home country for a max of two weeks a year. Yet I have both, because it provides me numerous advantages in terms of travel. They could be thinking along those same lines. I’m not saying they have or haven’t done this. But to me it makes sense if they’re looking at citizenship vs residency. As private citizens, there are a lot of advantages: for them and their children.

        Edit: Just responding to Chloe before I saw Becks1 comment. Agreed Becks1: who knows about likeliness, but definitely feasible and possible without having to live there

      • SamuelWhiskers says:

        “That’s not how dual citizenship works. You’re mixing up citizenship and residency, which are two very separate things. ”

        Yes but the legal requirement to apply for Portuguese citizenship is to be legally resident in Portugal for five years first. You CANNOT apply for citizenship without five years of residency first. (Unless you’re of Portuguese descent, which obviously neither Harry or Meghan are.)

        The idea that Harry and Meghan are going to get EU passports through acquiring Portuguese citizenship is laughable tabloid BS.

        Their careers, kids’ schools, social networks, and Doria are all in the USA.

        They’re obviously not going to live full-time in Portugal for five years just to one day years down the line be eligible for EU citizenship.

      • Danbury says:

        SamuelWhiskers: Fair enough. I didn’t know about the 5 year rule for Portugal.

      • TikiChica says:

        @becks1 I have three passports: Argentinian, Italian and UK. I can confirm that you don’t just get a passport for buying a property. They would have to reside in Portugal for a period of time (5 years?).
        I was born in Argentina, and lived there for the first 19 years of my life. I have my Italian passport because my grandparents were Italian, and my UK passport because I’ve lived in the UK for 24 years. So your college friend could have had four passports, but that doesn’t mean that Harry and Meghan will get a Portuguese passport because they bought a property in Portugal.

      • Becks1 says:

        @Tikichica right, I know that. (That’s actually pretty similar to my friend’s situation but I dont want to say too much in case someone I know is lurking on here, because it was pretty specific, lol.)

        I was literally just replying to the comment about how multiple passports is completely feasible.

        I know nothing about Portuguese citizenship or immigration requirements and didn’t say that I did.

        This thread……lordy lol.

      • Deborah1 says:

        @Danbury @Chloe – I am a dual British/Dutch citizen. I obtained my Dutch passport 3 years ago but there was a certain criteria involved, like residence in the country for a number of years. Under normal circumstances there is no way H&M can obtain a Portugese passport unless they live there. Buying a house in Portugal, if this is indeed true, does not give them the right to a Portugese passport. Under current EU Law, non-EU citizens (including the British because of Brexit) have to have a visa to visit the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. There will be no exception for the Sussexes.

    • Advisor2U says:

      Maureen has been a gossip writer all his life for The Fail. He never had any meaningful promotions. When D. Wooton and A. Andrews were sacked, he started filling in more column inches with gossip and royal trash for that tabloid, but still his position didn’t change, he’s not been promoted to like an editorial position. He is still a cheep, not so smart gosiping bully, who is stalking H&M obsessively for his stories.

    • Eurydice says:

      The golden visa program hasn’t ended, it’s just been changed to eliminate property purchases and capital transfers as qualifications. One can make a large investment in the country and still get the golden visa – which is for residency, not citizenship.

      • BeanieBean says:

        I don’t understand the purpose of this alleged golden passport. I’ve travelled to Norway, which is one of those Schengen area countries. There’s no border control; you land at the airport & go straight to get your luggage & then out to the bus. And mine is a US passport. This article is just a whole lot of hooey.

  3. StillDouchesOfCambridge says:

    Yay! A house in portugal close to eugenie so they & their kids can be together. I hope jack was the real estate agent for this. This sounds great. Hope Meg films there!!!
    Also, the reporting quality is fishy when it starts with “it is understood”. He might understand nothing also 😂

    • BeanieBean says:

      Right? How is this even a ‘scoop’ if it starts with ‘it is understood’? Are real estate records public in Portugal? Are they combing through courthouse records online? Or just making this up out of whole cloth?

  4. Em says:

    Might be true or not but I suspect since it’s so close to the UK, the Sussexes can come in and out in under a day without worrying about accommodation in the UK

  5. Carmen says:

    Portugal is said to have great surfing spots, and Harry has been very much into surfing since they relocated to California.

  6. Harla says:

    Have the Sussex’s confirmed this? Or is Maureen screaming into the void as usual? I’m not really believing this, Portugal would be a long way to fly from California on any kind of regular basis, regular enough to make buying a home a fiscally responsible investment.

    • Hypocrisy says:

      It’s Eden and the fail, so of course nothing has been confirmed and it’s probably a distraction story from WanK.

    • Amy Bee says:

      No it’s not confirmed and I doubt they will due to security concerns. Maureen is always crying that Harry and Meghan’s team don’t respond to his emails so you can be sure that he didn’t get a response from them.

    • Becks1 says:

      I don’t understand why you’re asking if its been confirmed. Eden says “The Daily Mail understands” so that should be all the confirmation we need!!!!

      /sarcasm

      I am laughing at the line though about how a “source close to the Sussexes confirms they have been to Portugal.” I’ve been to Portugal too, write about me Eden!!!

    • Anonymous says:

      So basically he’s not a real newspaper journalist. And one can invest $250,000 in Portugal which qualifies one to get that schengen EU countries Visa there, since Brexit evicted British citizens from getting one.

  7. Amy Bee says:

    The key phrase here is “the Daily Mail understands”. That means Richard Eden has no clue if what he’s written is true. The whole thing about visas make no sense as both Harry and Meghan don’t need visas to travel to Europe. Plus the article online is just a rehash about Frogmore Cottage with absolutely no information about the alleged house in Portugal.

    • Becks1 says:

      They don’t need visas to travel to Europe but wouldn’t they need them if they wanted to stay beyond a certain period of time?

      I don’t think its likely at all because they have two young children starting school and Eden is just making stuff up as he goes along lol.

      • Nic919 says:

        I would have to check the specifics of Portugal and the U.S., but I know that Canadians can own property in the U.S. and can stay there without visa if they don’t work there. Most snowbirds end up staying just under 6 months because they lose residency status for provincial healthcare if they stay longer.

        There is likely a similar situation going on with the U.S. and Portugal.

    • Kadie says:

      You and Becks1 are spot on with the line …the Daily Fail understands…it’s their ‘get out of accountability line’ ! Maureen looked at her bank account, realized she’d be a short and needed some clickbait cash.

    • Agreatreckoning says:

      Agree @AmyBee. “the Daily Mail understands” from????????????????? I don’t buy what the BM writes unless confirmed. Maureen/Richard failed his usual, “I can reveal” bs. If H&M invested in property in Portugal great. Just not understanding this Golden Visa thing and relevance. H&M have been in and out of Europe with Invictus (and other countries).

      Richard/Maureen spews nonsense. I feel ashamed for his children if he has any. Same for the other RR’s children. Their parent’s lie every day for a living. Sad.

  8. Nanea says:

    I’m highly skeptical of this royal exclusive by Maureen, and the story of the golden visa.

    Even if investing the minimum sum that is required would pose no problem for H&M, they’d have to regularly stay in Portugal each year.

    Mr Will Work for Kibbles just made sure they’d have to ramp up their security even further than usual because people like that obsessed Matt Wilkinson from the Scum will venture out to Portugal equipped with a fine-tooth comb, looking for clues.

  9. Hypocrisy says:

    I have three friends who have purchased property in Portugal around the time of the pandemic just for citizenship.. they are all married and gay but with Trump being elected back then started researching options and the home is a safety net for them. I really hope the Sussex’s did purchase another property somewhere safe, but this shouldn’t be some breaking storyline in Britain because it isn’t being paid for by them. Truthfully if people have the money with today’s political climate and extremism they would be foolish to not have a safe property in a different country.

    • Ciotog says:

      We are looking into this too. Can’t afford property but we may be able to get citizenship in Europe through my spouse. If he’s elected we will stay and fight as long as we can, but we may have to flee at some point. That’s what happens with fascist regimes.

    • mightymolly says:

      I know a couple of people who are working the Portugal angle in case they need to leave the U.S.

  10. aquarius64 says:

    But, but the Sussexes are broke.

  11. Steph says:

    Since when can you get a passport without citizenship? This makes no sense to me. Plus, they probably already have Global Entry. The property purchase could be real but wouldn’t that be a matter of public record? This seems like it should be fairly easy to confirm.

    • Dee(2) says:

      I don’t know how that would work in Portugal, but a lot of people here in the US by property in a land trust so that they can keep the sales price private as well as keeping the sale anonymous. You see this a lot with athletes especially, so that people in the cities that they’re playing in aren’t showing up at their houses or outside of condo buildings trying to stalk them. I don’t know if this story is true but I wouldn’t be shocked if Harry and Meghan do own property elsewhere in the United States under a Land trust.

      • Steph says:

        @dee(2) thanks for that. The idea of them having multiple properties in the US and abroad isn’t crazy to me. It’s quite reasonable actually. It’s just that the BM pays for stories. I would think they could have some kind of evidence about this.

    • blueberry says:

      Yeah I’m so confused too. Americans don’t need a visa to go to Europe for under six months. And why would it be attractive for Meghan more than Harry? British citizens aren’t any more special in Europe than Americans afaik

      • Afken says:

        THIS! That line revealed the agenda. Why wouldn’t it be more attractive to Harry who thanks to brexit no longer has an EU passport. Why would it be attractive to Meghan who never had an EU passport and yet travelled extensively anyhow. He even brings up how Meghan was going for British citizenship when she lived in the uk. Which again is irrelevant because of Brexit! She’d have been in the same boat as Harry. There’s a reason Richard Eden remains a gossip taking freebies from the middletons.

    • SamuelWhiskers says:

      Yeah, Portuguese law is really strict. You have to live there full-time before you can even apply for citizenship.

      If the house story is true I’m sure it’s just nice summer/vacation home, a chance to increase their property portfolio, and nothing more.

      • Tennyson says:

        The law is stricter since this month of April, but anyone with Sephardic Jewish Ancestry from 6/500 years ago could apply to Portugal citizenship and be granted it.
        Since April 2024, one needs to find a tie to a specific Sephardic Jewish Community.
        That being said, I don’t know if Meghan or Harry via his US ancestors have any Sephardic Jewish ancestors. 1 is enough.

    • Mel says:

      I have two passports, one for the US and one for the place my parents were born. I’ve never lived there as an adult only as a baby but because my Father retained his citizenship there I was able to get a passport. I’m a citizen of that island and of the US. Each country has different rules.

    • Jan90067 says:

      Global Entry is just for the US: if coming BACK from somewhere outside the US, it’s a faster way to get through customs. I just used it coming back from South Africa.

      My family has applied for dual citizenship from Poland, as that’s where we have ancestry (dad’s and his whole family). We started the process about 18 mos. ago. We’ve been “accepted”, and now are going through the tedious paperwork (which can take up to another 2 yrs). Not a fast process by any definition, but we also thought that if things go to hell here, we can get out.

      The best part for us is being able to use that passport to travel/live anywhere in the EU with it.

  12. girl_ninja says:

    They purchased a home in Portugal? They are definitely separating. **wink**

  13. Jais says:

    I mean if they did, good for them. Grain of salt though cuz it’s DM and Eden.

  14. ML says:

    News flash: The UK is NOT part of Schengen! So, it’s a bit precious that Eden reports this as Meghan (and not Harry as well) wanting access. Next, because of the Russians specifically, the European Union has tried to crack down on golden passports. A golden passport, is where for a ludicrous amount (usually millions), you can purchase a citizenship. The poorer countries are obviously the biggest offenders. Getting back to this article then, Eden is indirectly linking Meghan to buying herself a second citizenship (and again, Harry has the same issue in Portugal as Meghan because the UK is not part of the EU) in a shady way. Harry would in theory need the same kind of passport. The only possible true fact is that they might have purchased Portugese property. This is gross.

    • Walking the Walk says:

      What you said. This isn’t true and it’s a smear (badly) done by Eden to have a go at Meghan.

      And yeah you can’t do this anymore (buy a golden passport). They may have bought a home, but now for the reasons that Eden seems to think. But also, I can’t see them buying a second place anywhere because of Meghan saying repeatedly she’s done moving.

  15. Eating Popcorn says:

    Why would they need golden visas, is there a question of them not being allowed into the EU?

  16. Becks1 says:

    So this is the kind of story where I could see it being true – Portugal is a gorgeous country with a wonderful country, and Eugenie and Jack being there could be another factor in its favor – but I mean……we could say that about a lot of places for H&M. They could buy property in NYC*, Florida, Maine, Hawaii, France, Spain, Botswana, etc.

    Eden is just throwing something at the wall to see what sticks. And that’s without getting into the passport/citizenship/visa issue.

    *I feel if they are going to buy additional property outside of montecito, NYC seems like it would make the most sense since they seem to be there a great deal, but we know nothing, they may already own 5 different houses across the globe.

  17. Tina says:

    Considering zero evidence is included in his article (other than the fact that they vacationed there which we already knew) I think this article is just nonsense. Its another way to feed the divorce story because they probably think thats where Harry is going to live (obviously that makes zero sense) or its to imply they think they are going to get kicked out of the US since they are hated there (again not true). More distraction from the doom over the Australia and Samoa trip and the awful pics of Kate that I keep seeing everywhere on my timeline. No doubt Meghan and Harry will buy more properties even just as investments but I don’t think we will ever know. As others have posted they would just have it done through a company.

  18. Agnes says:

    I don’t understand. They bought a place just so they don’t have to stand in line and show their US and UK passports, but not really because there are no more Golden Passports? How much time does an EU passport save? How often are H&M in Europe to justify this extravagance? And how many bathrooms does their new place have???

    • L4Frimaire says:

      Those two are never standing in line to get through customs/immigration. Where would they even get this information about a house purchase? I don’t know if I necessarily believe it but it is definitely not anyone’s business if they did purchase a European property.

    • Ennie says:

      I could see them having a place near the uk because Harry has a whole set of aunts and uncle still alive, etc.

  19. Eurydice says:

    The Golden Visa program in Portugal hasn’t ended, it’s just been changed. Buying property or just transferring cash to a bank account no longer qualify, but you can put half a million into an investment fund, or give a big chunk of money to support the arts or science, or start some kind of business that employs people.

  20. Proud Mary says:

    Please stop giving Maureen credibility. He knows nothing about the Sussexes. Just because you want it to be true doesn’t mean it is. If you believe him on this, then do you believe all the lies he’s told about Harry and Meghan?

    • Becks1 says:

      Are you reading the same comments I am? Because most of us are expressing doubt at this story.

      • Proud Mary says:

        I’m referring to CB. Y’all are always on point. But I’m a bit exhausted by the attempt of others, who ought to know better, continuing to buttress the credibility of people and newspapers with whom the couple have made it clear they will never cooperate. The very people and papers that never know the couple’s itinerary, suddenly know that they purchased a home? These people did not even know the Sussexes had moved to Montecito until six weeks later.

  21. MsIam says:

    I doubt its true since its the Fail and Maureen but I think it could be true that they might want to leave if the election goes south and the ish hits the fan. No doubt Harry’s tormentors at the Nazi Heritage Foundation would see that as a green light to start their b.s. again.

    • Agnes says:

      If the election goes south, Europe is not going to be any “safer” than the US, because NATO will be gone and Russia will take over.

      • Henny Penny says:

        I wish our major news organizations would make this particular outcome of this election as clear as you have.

      • Ciotog says:

        I know. I think about Otto Frank. He fled the Nazis in ‘33, but they found him.

  22. SamuelWhiskers says:

    The main takeout IF true:

    1. Clearly not separating/divorcing

    2. Clearly not broke

    3. Yay nice vacation home

    • Becks1 says:

      this is what’s funny about this story, right? If this is true…..it destroys a lot of the other narratives the BM has been obsessed with putting out there over the past few years. They’re not broke, they’re clearly not separating, they’re clearly still close to Eugenie and Jack if they’re buying a house near them (presumably), etc.

  23. Penelope Cowell Doe says:

    Portugal still has a Golden Visa scheme as do other EU countries in the Schengen area, but, as far as i know, it applies only to non-Schengen countries. I have no idea about US citizens. The UK isn’t a member of Schengen and free movement has ended for UK citizens due to BREXIT. I write this from Greece with some bitterness.

    • Sola says:

      UK was never part of Schengen. Not even before Brexit.
      Some countries in Europe are not EU members, but still members of Schengen , like Norway.

  24. Anonymous says:

    The law is stricter since this month of April, but anyone with Sephardic Jewish Ancestry from 6/500 years ago could apply to Portugal citizenship and be granted it.
    Since April 2024, one needs to find a tie to a specific Sephardic Jewish Community.
    That being said, I don’t know if Meghan or Harry via his US ancestors have any Sephardic Jewish ancestors. 1 is enough.

  25. Libra says:

    Jack Brooksbank could have sold them a place in his development in Portugal which could be used as an investment and for rental income with Jack being the rental agent acting for tnem. Property usually increases in value over time. IF TRUE this could be just wealth management.

  26. B says:

    The rota never know anything and its hilarious they would rather make up happy stories about the Sussexes then make up happy stories about the left behinds.

    Suck harder rota!

  27. MikeB says:

    Eden presents absolutely no proof that H&M have purchased a home in Portugal other than the fact that they spent three days there earlier in the year. Using the same rationale they have probably purchased homes in Nigeria, Columbia, Jamaica, and South Africa.

  28. VilleRose says:

    This is the Mail so not sure how much stock I put into it but Harry’s book Spare surprised me with just how much the British tabloids get it right when they leak info. Sure, they get some stories wildly wrong like the whole Meghan made Kate cry thing. But Harry’s book confirmed so many stories we got straight from British tabloids if you follow the royals closely.

    Good for them if they bought a vacation home in Portugal! It makes sense given their closeness with Eugenie and Jack. It honestly surprised me we hadn’t heard of them buying other homes sooner.

    • Nanea says:

      “Harry’s book Spare surprised me with just how much the British tabloids get it right when they leak info.”

      It’s called Willieleaks, courtesy of the invisible contract and Murdoch’s hush money.
      😉

      • VilleRose says:

        William is definitely responsible for a lot of them but their staff was responsible too. Jason Knauf (with and without William’s approval), Camilla, courtiers etc. It’s no wonder Diana felt like she could trust no one in that den of vipers.

  29. QuiteContrary says:

    If it’s true, I’d enjoy the fact that H&M have property across the Atlantic … that’s NOT in godforsaken England.

  30. Square2 says:

    H&M have NO need or reason to purchase/invest a property for the purpose of acquiring VISA. Meghan is an American (who can visit a lot of countries, especially in Europe, Visa free as a tourist) & Harry is too famous & not a criminal (to be refused an entry to a country).

    Liar always keeps lying, that’s Maureen & majority of the RR & BM.

    • AC says:

      This ⬆️

      And just like Trumps debates, there’s no fact checkers on this article.
      Do they want us to believe HM would tell the BM about their real estate investments 🙄

  31. Nic919 says:

    A fair amount of British people were living in Portugal pre Brexit and likely still do. If this is true at some point they will be spotted. The visa thing sounds made up completely though.

  32. Lily says:

    Did they realy bought a house or this is just some shit the tabloids came up again like their divorce or that Meghan can’t have kids or, Archie and Lili are not real

  33. Vuyelwa Ncube says:

    Butt hurt about H&M while still not wanting them in the UK
    Speculation is rife

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