Portuguese locals are up in arms about a luxurious new vacation compound where Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have reportedly snapped up a beachfront property.
The Sussexes are said to have splashed out on one of 300 soon-to-be constructed residences at the 722-acre CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club — a lavish development near the small town of Melides, about 81 miles south of Lisbon.
The Mirror reports that properties inside the compound start at a whopping $4.7 million (£3.6million).
Until recently, Portuguese law made it illegal to restrict access to public beaches, but now particular stretches of sand are deemed “private,” according to the Daily Record, and locals are livid.
Melides local Bradley McGuiness told the outlet that it was “the worst thing to happen to the Portuguese coast” and a “typical greed situation.”
“Taking land and property from locals who have been enjoying it for years,” he fumed.
Another local expressed dismay at the luxe new compound, saying: “I am very upset by this massive piece of Portuguese land destroyed for the rich, removed from the average local that had been creating memories in this place for generations and generations.”
Resident Diana Queiroz added: “I have been going to this place for years, camped there several times and, because of this company, this is no longer possible.”
CostaTerra is part of Discovery Land Company, an enterprise founded by Mike Meldman, who along with George Clooney, invested in the billion-dollar tequila company, Casamigos.
Meghan and Harry also have a family connection with the company: Jack Brooksbank, the husband of Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie, works for Discovery Land Company in their marketing and sales department.
Brooksbank and Eugenie already divide their time between London and Portugal along with their two sons, three-year-old August, and sixteen-month-old Ernest.
According to The Mirror, the Discovery Land Company has been developing the CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club since 2019.
The website describes the golf and ocean club as “the ideal luxury getaway for families seeking an authentic lifestyle-focused coastal residential community.”
Meanwhile, it’s been reported that the purchase of a Portuguese vacation home may allow Harry and Meghan to acquire a “Golden Visa,” which would grant them “visa-free access to the European Union’s Schengen area.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not had a residence in the UK since 2023, when they were asked to officially “vacate” Frogmore Cottage, the UK home on the grounds of Windsor Castle. The pair had first moved into the cottage after getting married in 2018.
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