How the country that welcomed the Queen with ‘Viva! Viva!’ in 1957 could now be Harry and Meghan’s new European home in ‘the Hamptons of Portugal’

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.

It is understood that the Sussexes have recently purchased a holiday home in Portugal, as was reported by the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden last week.

And they aren’t the only members of the Royal Family with a love for the country on the picturesque Atlantic coast.

Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank own a holiday home at the CostaTerra Golf & Ocean Club, south of Lisbon, and Harry and Meghan reportedly visited them there last year.

The area where the luxury golf resort is located has been named ‘the Hamptons of Portugal’ and the ‘Malibu of Europe’, according to The Daily Telegraph, due to celebrities who stay there.

The Royal Family is well acquainted with Portugal. The late Queen Elizabeth II toured the country multiple times during her reign – on her 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, at the start of a three-day visit to the country

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 Majesty’s official trip was only three days long, it was a great success for the young monarch and Prince Philip. 

To mark the start of the State visit, Her Majesty sailed into Lisbon on the Royal Yacht Britannia with Philip and was transported by 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 went on a solo tour of the southern hemisphere, opening the Olympic Games in Melbourne before visiting the Antarctic.

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 with her husband Jack Brooksbank and their children, August and Ernest, on a day at the seaside

The Queen in Lisbon with Philip – he was 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 Philip

Ten years into their marriage, the royal couple pose after reuniting in Portugal after Philip had been away for four months on a solo tour

‘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. Elizabeth attended a glittering banquet at Ajuda Palace where 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 waits patiently for a glimpse of the Queen at Nazare village in 1957

Ajuda National Palace, where the late Queen attended a grand banquet in her honour in 1957 

Queen Elizabeth gives off a glamorous Hollywood vibe in silk and fur, as she and Philip spend an evening out in Portugal

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 in the State room to see Her Majesty.

She attracted such large crowds in the streets of Lisbon 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 was once home to the Portuguese Royal Family

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 & Ocean Club luxury resort  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.’