Last Saturday, Prince Harry was one of the players in a polo match at the annual Sentebale Cup in Singapore. The event is of special significance to Harry, not only because of the opportunity to get back on the horse, but also because all the money raised from the tournament goes to the charity that the Duke of Sussex set up in 2006 to help children and young people in Southern Africa who suffer from poverty, inequality, HIV and COVID-19. The first Sentebale Polo Cup was held in Barbados in 2010 and to date the equestrian event has raised over $14 million for the organisation.
This year, the Singapore Polo Club was chosen as the venue, and Harry was joined on the field by his long-time friend and Sentebale Ambassador Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras. The two have known each other since 2007 when they played together in a similar charity match. Figueras said he was already struck then by how passionate the prince is about everything he does. And this game was no exception.
This time the friends were opponents on the pitch – the Argentine polo star captained the Singapore Polo Club team, while Harry played for the Royal Salute Sentebale team. The match was tense until the last minute but ended in a friendly 7-7 draw. The match was followed by dinner at the InterContinental Singapore where Harry honoured his mother, Princess Diana. The Prince marked the 25th anniversary of her death by saying he had always been inspired by her “tireless work to support and remove the stigma from those suffering from HIV and AIDS”.
