Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have dipped their toes in the property market in Europe – and are said to have bought a home in a country with links to Britain and the Royal Family that date back 600 years.
The Sussexes have recently purchased a holiday property in Portugal, the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden reported last week.
And they aren’t the only current members of the Royal Family with a love for the country on the Atlantic coast.
Harry’s cousin, Princess Eugenie, and her husband Jack Brooksbank own a Portuguese holiday home in the CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club, and the Sussexes reportedly visited them last year.
The area has been named ‘the Hamptons of Portugal’ or even the ‘Malibu of Europe’, according to The Daily Telegraph, thanks to its love from celebrities.
The late Queen Elizabeth II toured the country multiple times during her reign.
On Her Majesty’s first official visit in February 1957, she was greeted by cheering crowds shouting, ‘Viva! Viva!’
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arriving in Lisbon in February 1957
The Daily Mail’s front page coverage at the time of Her Majesty’s visit in 1957
Prince Harry and Meghan have reportedly purchased a holiday home in Portugal
Though her official trip was only three days long, it was a great success for the young monarch and her husband, Prince Philip.
To mark the start of the state visit, Her Majesty sailed into Lisbon on the Royal Yacht Britannia with Philip and was carried on a barge to the quay.
The couple were hosted by the Portuguese president at the time – Craveiro Lopes and his First Lady Berta Ribeiro.
Elizabeth and Philip stayed at the 18th-century Queluz Palace which was once home to the Portuguese Royal Family.
Aside from the grand reception, it was also a special occasion for the Queen because she was reunited with Philip after the couple had spent four months apart while he had ventured on an extended tour of the southern hemisphere.
The Daily Mail reported at the time how, ‘The Queen’s joy at being reunited with her husband shone in her face as she drove through cheering, flower-throwing crowds.
Princess Eugenie, her husband Jack Brooksbank and children on a sandy shore
The Queen and Philip, wearing a tie decorated with love hearts, after reuniting in Portugal
Thousands of people gather in the streets of Lisbon to greet the Queen and Prince Philiip
The royal couple pose after reuniting in Portugal. Philip had been away for four months
‘And never had she looked so beautiful as she smiled and waved back at them.’
It was certainly a happy time for all.
However, the weather didn’t reflect the joy and ‘was the worst Portugal had seen for years’.
During her visit, the Queen rode in a coach ‘encrusted with gold’ in a procession and at one point, 10,000 pigeons were released by Boy Scouts and Girl Guides in her honour.
She was also gifted a horse from the president, ‘a magnificent black stallion called Bussaco’.
The trip was full of moments of splendour and glamour. One evening, Elizabeth attended a glittering banquet at Ajuda Palace.
She wore an elegant dress, ’embroidered with gold and pearls, and a diamond tiara with emeralds left to her by Queen Mary’.
A young girl sits on an old fishing boat to try to get a glimpse of the Queen at Nazare village in 1957
Ajuda National Palace – which the late Queen visited during her 1957 trip to Portugal
Elizabeth and Philip during their official tour of Portugal in 1957
The Daily Mail described at the time how the Queen, ‘told the 130 distinguished guests that the 600-year-old alliance between Britain and Portugal shone out as an example of constancy which could well hearten others besides ourselves’.
That evening, she dined under crystal chandeliers and ate off silver plates on a wonderfully decorated table.
During the visit, Elizabeth also attended a reception at Queluz Palace, where 1,500 people gathered into the state rooms to see Her Majesty.
She attracted such large crowds during the visit that that police had to ‘resort to riding crops, batons and the flat sides of sabres in a vain effort to keep back the people,’ the Daily Mail wrote.
The Queen returned to Portugal 28 years later in 1985 – but on that occasion she was met with sunshine rather than the rain that plagued her first visit.
‘Their four-day State visit sealing Britain’s oldest alliance had clearly stirred memories of their last trip here,’ the Daily Mail reported. ‘… emotions were high among the crowds lining Lisbon’s quayside.’
A newspaper clipping from the Daily Mail on February 20, 1957 covering the Queen’s visit
Residents in Portugal hang flags from their windows as they wait to greet the Queen
The Queen and Philip riding a carriage through Oporto in Portugal in 1957
The 18th-century Queluz Palace which the Queen visited during her trip in 1957
At one point, ‘toddlers broke through the police cordon to load her with bouquets’.
Elizabeth attended a banquet and joked about how port wine has played an important part in the two country’s relationship.
She said: ‘I see we have port with which to drink our toasts tonight. Dr Johnson said ‘claret is the liquor for boys – port for men.’ I’m not sure that is entirely true!
‘But the trade in this precious liquid has long been a feature of the relationship between Portugal and Britain and what better way of symbolising our friendship than drinking this toast in port?’
When the Queen died in 2022, her long-standing relationship with Portugal showed after the nation’s government announced three days of national mourning.
The sandy shore near CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club in Portugal
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa released a statement at the time sending his condolences to Britain.
He added: ‘For Portugal and all Portuguese, the visits that Queen Elizabeth II made to Portugal in 1957 and 1985 will remain in the memory of every one of us with unquestionable affection and appreciation.
‘For me personally, I will never forget the honour of meeting her when I visited London in 2016.
‘Confident of the historic and unbreakable bonds of friendship which have united and will continue to unite Portugal and the United Kingdom, I renew my most heartfelt and sincere condolences and offer Your Majesty the assurances of my highest esteem and consideration.’