As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle expand their real estate portfolio beyond California, they're sending a "clear" message. A royal commentator says the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's reported purchase of a home in Portugal shows they still have "goodwill" with certain members of the British royal family -- Princess Eugenie.

It looks like Eugenie, the youngest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, hasn't distanced herself from Harry and Meghan. If anything she and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, and their two sons, who split their time between Melides, Portugal, and the U.K., are poised to become even closer to the Sussex family.

"This is a surprise and is extremely significant," Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator, told the Daily Mail of Harry and Meghan's reported Portugal home purchase. "We have known that Harry and Meghan and Eugenie and her husband Jack have been close for years."

"They moved into Frogmore Cottage when the Sussexes vacated it and have reportedly seen each other in California and in Portugal, where Jack works. This move obviously advertises that the couples are close" and that "they still have goodwill in the royal family."

"It will be fascinating to see what their plan is in the coming months," Fitzwilliams went on, noting it "also gives the Sussexes a base in the EU [European Union]" and "[...] gives them a base near Britain."

"It makes clear that they are connected closely to part of the royal family and it will be interesting to see how they intend to develop this," he added.

So, what does the Portugal home purchase mean for Harry and Meghan? Not only that they're still close to Eugenie and her husband, but they could also visit more locations on the other side of the Atlantic. (Ahem, the pond.)

"Will it, for example," Fitzwilliams continued, "lead to more solo or perhaps even joint visits to Britain, but without participating in royal life or royal rituals at Sandringham and Balmoral?"

"It might lead to a 'faux royal' tour of an EU [European Union] country following their trips to Nigeria and Colombia," he said, referencing the couple's official visits in May and August 2024, respectively.

"Now we know that Harry and Meghan have a base in Europe, their exile in California is far less distant," Fitzwilliams added.

Get ready for more Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet sightings. Fitzwilliams predicts the public will get occasional glimpses of the 5 and 3-year-old hanging out with their royal relatives.

"The purchase of a home in Portugal means we may see a good deal of Harry, Meghan and their family," Fitzwilliams said. "It will certainly involve their children and we may see photos of Archie and Lili. In the future, possibly the distant future, we may well see them with Eugenie and Jack and their family."

Archie and Lili are rarely, if ever, seen in public. Netflix's 2022 Harry & Meghan docuseries was the last time the world got a substantial glimpse of them in personal photos and videos.

To date, Archie and Lili haven't made any big public appearances with Harry and Meghan apart from Archie accompanying them on a 2019 royal tour of South Africa.