Inside the $3.5m per villa resort where Harry and Meghan jetted off for romantic getaway

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a pit stop in Portugal after a week in Europe, before making their return home to California. The couple had just been in Germany for a week, and it seems they needed a break before resuming regular life. But, they didn't do it alone, Harry's cousin, Princess Eugenie, and her husband Jack Brooksbank, live in Portugal and act as hosts to their extended family.  

According to Page Six, Harry and Meghan stayed at the members-only luxury residential community CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club resort in Melides, which is about an hour's drive from Lisbon. The villas start at $3.5M, ranging from 3,000 to 6,500 square feet. The homes are built around a courtyard, facing a landscaped garden and swimming pools. The resort sits on 900 acres, 200 are preserved, providing plenty of beachfront, a mile. 

Harry and Meghan arrived on September 16, spent four days in Portugal, making their return to the States, via London, on September 20. 

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While there’s strife amongst the Windsors, Harry is still in touch with his cousin Eugenie (also a Windsor). Eugenie had just visited Harry and Meghan in February 2022 for the Super Bowl. And now it’s in the reverse, with Harry and Meghan visiting Eugenie at their home. Prior to moving to Portugal, Eugenie and her family were living in Harry and Meghan’s Frogmore Cottage. 

Their not-so-secret getaway was interrupted when Harry and Meghan were spotted in Portugal. A local publication, Nova Gente, reported on the sighting, writing: “After the Invictus Games finished, on Saturday September 16, the couple headed to our country for a lightning trip. In a mega-secret ‘operation,’ and with the reserve that has characterized them since they abdicated their royal duties in 2020, Meghan and Harry preferred not to publicize, either through the press or through their social networks, this ‘romantic getaway.’ They arrived in Portugal without their children and as soon as they landed, they headed to Alentejo and more precisely to Melides.”

Eugenie isn’t considered a working royal, and as a result, she isn't expected to carry out royal responsibilities. Prior to moving to Portugal, she was working full-time as the director at Hauser & Wirth, an art gallery in London. Eugenie and family moved to Portugal in 2022, relocating for her husband’s work, with Brooksbank accepting an offer with real estate tycoon Mike Meldrum. 

There may be a reason why Eugenie is so welcoming to Harry and Meghan, as there's controversy on her side of the family, whuch Kinsey Schofield, host of the “To Di for Daily” podcast, explains: “Beatrice and Eugenie can become whatever they want to outside of the royal family, but their parents have squandered any hope of the girls elevating themselves within the fold.”

Eugenie’s new set-up, and downtime, makes her the perfect person to host Harry and Meghan and what may be deemed a third honeymoon, the second behind their love-fest at The Invictus Games. The couple spent four days in Portugal, returning to the U.S. via British Airways on September 20. It’s not just Harry who flies commercial, so does his brother Prince William. They still have that in common.