Prince Harry and Meghan Markle face a tricky hurdle if they wish to move to Portugal where they have reportedly purchased a new home.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly purchased a home in Portugal (Image: Getty)

The reported purchase of a £3.6m property in sunny Portugal has the added bonus of potentially obtaining residency and eventually EU citizenship for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, allowing the couple to travel freely through the European Union’s Schengen area.

However, if the royal duo are to get their hands on an EU passport in due course, they face a huge setback, as they would first have to get Portuguese citizenship.

In order to do so, a language test is required before citizenship is granted, so the Montecito-based duo would have to prepare for it and study up in preparation.

According to Global Citizen Solutions, it “tests applicants’ ability to use and understand everyday language and expressions, such as talking about yourself and basic phrases you might use on a daily basis”.

The website states applicants do not have to take a language test to obtain a residency permit, although they must complete it to gain citizenship and a Portuguese passport.

Harry and Meghan’s new home is an hour’s drive south of Lisbon on Portugal’s west coast (Image: Getty)

Meghan Markle already speaks additional languages, including Spanish, as noted on her tour of Colombia with Prince Harry in August.

For the final engagement of their four-day trip to the country, Meghan pleased crowds by translating for her husband who asked her to translate from English to Spanish for roaring crowds as he thanked the public for their “incredible hospitality”.

A social media user admired the interaction during the couple’s tour: “Love #PrinceHarry speaking Spanish, LOVE #MeghanMarkle as a translator. Love the cheers, what a visit!”

Harry, on the other hand, has confessed to not being fluent in any language other than English although he has picked up some French and German along the way. A period of studying though may well be needed in Montecito if they are to bag that ‘golden visa’

Harry may face a major hurdle if he wishes to become a Portuguese citizen (Image: Getty)

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 to door to applying.

It is reported the couple’s new home is in a resort located just an hour’s drive south of Lisbon on Portugal’s west coast, between Comporta and Melides, which has become a popular holiday destination for the rich, thanks to it being relatively untouched by tourism.

The Sussexes’ purchase of the property was said to have been prompted by Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, who also own a home in Melides, just south of Lisbon.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Pauline MacLaran, a professor and author of ‘Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture’, said Eugenie and Jack could have swayed Harry and Meghan’s decision to buy a home close by.

She said: “I would think this will have greatly influenced their purchase and will provide them with a familiar friendship circle for their stays there, as well as a chance for their children to get to know their second cousins.”