While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure from royal life was very public, Princess Eugenie appears to have transitioned into a semi-private, international life in a very different way. The princess has welcomed her third child in Lisbon, Portugal, where she and Jack Brooksbank have spent much of their family life in recent years. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s daughter splits her time between the UK and Portugal due to her husband’s work. In 2022, Brooksbank accepted a new role as a marketing executive with Discovery Land Company in Portugal.

Discovery Land Company is one of the most exclusive private residential club and luxury real estate development companies in the world. Unlike senior working royals like Prince Harry, she has not been expected to carry the full weight of representing the Crown. She’s been able to pursue private interests and build a life away from Buckingham Palace without formally walking away from the family. The princess has worked outside the royal institution, lived abroad and cultivated a public profile largely on her own terms.

Princess Eugenie splits her time between the UK and Portugal (Image: Getty)

The princess has managed to step away from the intensity of royal life without stepping away from the institution itself. And, in doing so, she may have found the sort of freedom the Sussexes wanted.

Speaking on the Table Manners podcast before news of her pregnancy emerged, Eugenie told hosts Jessie and Lennie Ware that Portugal offered exactly the kind of relaxed environment she wanted.

She told hosts Jessie and Lennie Ware: “Portugal is the dream because I can go to the supermarket in my exercise gear and my hair piled on my head and not mind. Not care. No one cares.”

That sense of anonymity and normality is likely to be particularly welcome given the controversy surrounding her father.

Meghan and Harry also reportedly love visiting Portugal, having spent some time there with their children last month. The Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and their children vacationed in Portugal before travelling to the UK in July.

Eugenie has been able to maintain a private life while still residing in royal property and benefiting from certain privileges associated with her position. If she is a non-working royal pursuing a private career and living much of her life away from the UK, it is reasonable to ask why she reportedly continues to benefit from accommodation within a royal palace.

I can understand why Harry might find this hybrid arrangement frustrating, particularly given the backlash he has faced since stepping away from royal duties. While his position was very different from Eugenie’s, it is difficult not to question why one member of the family can enjoy a relatively private life while retaining certain royal privileges, while Harry and Meghan faced such intense criticism when they sought greater independence.

Eugenie, however, was never required to carry the same institutional responsibilities as Prince Harry once did. Her position in the line of succession gave her considerably more freedom to pursue a career, develop private interests and spend time abroad.

That distinction may be crucial to understanding why her approach has worked.

Harry and Meghan wanted greater independence from the monarchy while retaining some connection to it. Their attempt to create that hybrid existence eventually became a very public confrontation with the institution.

Still, Harry and Meghan could benefit from taking some inspiration from Eugenie’s quieter approach. Rather than constantly defining themselves in opposition to the Royal Family, they could focus on building a more private relationship with individual members of the family, and I think the recent Highgrove meeting could be an important first step in that direction.