Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have begun major plans to launch a multimillion pound property portfolio, it is claimed.

After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex splashed out on a luxury property in Portugal near to a beachside property owned by Harry’s cousin, Princess Eugenie, on the country’s west coast, it is being reported that this is the start of a property portfolio for the estranged royals.

It had been suspected that the purchase was the beginning of the royals plans to gradually move back closer to Harry's home in the UK - but reports emerging this weekend speculate that it is the first piece in what will become a global property empire.

And sources told The  Sunnewspaper that the move is the couple looking to invest their Netflix deal millions.

The couple, now based in California, US, having sensationally quit royal life in 2020, previously signed a $100million deal with Netflix, for a five year period.

And a source told the paper that the couple are hoping to be “smart” with their Netflix fortune.

They may leave their new home empty to gain value or let it out to tourists as an Airbnb-style holiday home.

Their security bill is thought to be substantial as they feel they require round-the-clock protection in the US.

And now sources claim the couple plan to invest more dosh in real estate in the next few years.

They already own a £19.5 million Tuscan-style mansion in the luxury Californian town of Montecito. The property in the celeb and super-wealthy haunt has seven bedrooms and 13bathrooms, along with a library, cinema, gym, pool and chicken coop.

Harry and Meghan’s purchase of a swanky pad on the sunny Iberian coast could bag them a "Golden Visa" for easy travel through the EU's Schengen zone - and with a £6.5 million price tag, it really could be a golden ticket to the EU.

There are a number of ways to apply for citizenship in Portugal, including five years of uninterrupted residency, having descendants from the country, and being married for three years to a Portuguese citizen. Most relevant to Harry and Meghan is that investing €500,000 in the likes of investment funds, scientific research, or a local company or business, opens the door to applying.

The CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club is owned by multimillionaire property tycoon Mike Meldman. A co-founder of Casamigos tequila, along with George Clooney and Cindy Crawford's husband Rande Gerber, Mike has been friends with Princess Eugenie's husband Jack for years.

Jack works in marketing, sales, and promotion for Mike's Discovery Land Company, which specialises in building luxurious private golf and residential holiday communities across the globe.

The Discovery Land Company has been developing the highly sought after 722-acre beachfront plot in Comporta since 2019.

Once completed, the resort is set to have 300 homes, with prices starting at a whopping £3.6million.

If owning a place at the resort does see the couple earn visa privileges, it could have been one of the main motivating factors for US citizen Meghan.

In November 2017, Kensington Palace announced that Meghan was due to apply for British citizenship after marrying Harry, but she abandoned her bid after the couple left the UK in March 2020.

Meanwhile the couple was asked to give up their British home, Frogmore Cottage, by the King, last year.

It came after Harry's highly controversial memoir, Spare, saw him tear into Royal Family members including Queen Camilla and his brother Prince William.