Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, recently spent time with their children on a private Scottish island owned by billionaire hedge fund co-founder Ian Wace. Earlier this month, the couple traveled with their son, Prince Archie, seven, and daughter, Princess Lilibet, five, to Tanera Mor, the largest of the Summer Isles located off Scotland’s northwest coast. The remote 800-acre island, which has been extensively developed since its purchase in 2017 for £1.7 million, is said to have inspired the 1973 cult film The Wicker Man.
When Wace acquired Tanera Mor, it had a small population of just five residents and numerous derelict crofters’ cottages. Since then, he has invested around £100 million into restoring the island’s infrastructure, planting 100,000 trees, and constructing three miles of roads. Additionally, traditional skills such as beekeeping have been revived there. A significant element of the island’s renewed focus is its connection to the Taigh Mor Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of armed forces personnel and emergency service workers. Visitors involved with the foundation engage in activities such as building restoration, seaweed harvesting, fishing, and gardening during their stays.
Wace, 63, who co-founded the hedge fund Marshall Wace, has cultivated a long-standing friendship with Prince Harry and his brother, Prince William. His relationship with the Sussexes’ family extends further through his former wife, Saffron Aldridge, a model who developed a close bond with Meghan after the American actress relocated to the United Kingdom. Reports indicate that the couples socialized on various occasions, including attending a Cirque du Soleil performance at the Royal Albert Hall in 2019. Though Wace and Aldridge divorced in 2023, they reportedly remain on amicable terms.
The Sussex family journeyed to Tanera Mor following a stay at Althorp, the ancestral home of Earl and Countess Spencer, located in Northamptonshire. During their visit there, they paid respects by placing flowers at the grave of Harry’s late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. The trip also included a visit with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire.
Spokespersons for both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ian Wace declined to comment on the family’s stay on Tanera Mor. Prince Harry has previously spoken warmly of Balmoral, the royal family’s private estate in Aberdeenshire, describing it as “simply paradise.” However, he has not yet brought his children there, making the visit to Tanera Mor a notable private family retreat.