Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, displayed his equestrian prowess at the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup held at the Singapore Polo Club on Saturday. The event, a cornerstone fundraiser for Sentebale, a charitable organization co-founded by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006, seeks to aid children and youth grappling with poverty, inequality, and HIV/AIDS in southern Africa.
Joined by his friend and Sentebale ambassador, Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras, the Argentine polo star, Prince Harry captained the Royal Salute Sentebale Team, while Figueras led the Singapore Polo Club Team. The Sentebale Polo Cup, initially launched in Barbados in 2010, has remarkably generated over $14 million for the charity’s initiatives to date.
Figueras attested to Prince Harry’s unwavering dedication to Sentebale, highlighting their shared commitment to the cause. The duo’s bond strengthened further during their collaboration with the Los Padres team at the Santa Barbara Polo Club, which Figueras described as a dream come true.
“From day one, I saw how committed he was to his charity,” the pro rider told PEOPLE last summer.
“Fast forward 15 years, I’ve been to Lesotho with him a few times, and I’ve seen what great work the charity does and how important it is for a lot of kids, how committed he is, how much he really cares about it,” he added.
Prince Harry’s trip to Asia encompassed a broader mission. He engaged in the ISPS Sports Values Summit-Special Edition alongside prominent figures, discussing the profound impact of sports, community, and philanthropy. Reflecting on this, the Duke of Sussex emphasized the parallels between teamwork in sports and philanthropy, extolling the principles of perseverance, collaboration, and partnership.
“The lessons we learn on the field are the same principles of philanthropy: that a mission, hard work, dedication, and partnership can make even the impossible, possible,” Prince Harry said. “Whether banded together in victory or showing up with respect in loss, no one ever crosses a finish line or scores a goal without the help and belief of others. That, to me, is the power of sport.”
The Sentebale Polo Cup’s association with ISPS Handa, an organization championing the transformative potential of sports, has lent substantial support. This collaboration has been instrumental in furthering the reach and influence of Prince Harry’s charitable efforts.
Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, was absent from the Asian journey, but her presence was felt. In an Instagram post by Figueras, the Duke of Sussex sported sunglasses in Japan, playfully captioned as “Shopping for our wives.”
