Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Exclusive: I joined Prince Harry at the polo and rubbed shoulders with Meghan Markle, Serena Williams and Lilibet’s sweet friend

Nacho Figueras spoke with me about the Sussexes’ newly announced polo series


The couple held hands as the arrived at the polo
Alexandra Hurtado
New York
On 13 April 2024
Share this:

Prince HarryPalm Beach County and polo, oh my! The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their way from the West Coast to Wellington, Florida for the Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Challenge. Just under 300 guests attended the event—and I was there!

After trying on multiple dresses and finally landing on a floral Babour one, I made my way from Miami to the Grand Champions Polo Club, where the cameras were rolling for Archewell Productions’ newly announced non-fiction series, which promises to give unprecedented access to the world of professional polo. More on that later though!

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose for photos with Argentine professional polo player Ignacio "Nacho" Figueras, and his wife Delfina Blaquier © Alamy
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose for photos with Argentine professional polo player Ignacio "Nacho" Figueras, and his wife Delfina Blaquier

It was a gorgeous, albeit hot, day to be outdoors. Delfina Blaquier, Nacho Figueras’ wife, sweetly made her way over to the press area to make sure we all had water because it was a scorcher. 

Prior to Meghan and Harry’s arrival, I had time to speak with Nacho about what it meant to be there to support Sentebale. “It's always an amazing thing to get together to do two things that I love very much," he said. "One is playing polo, playing polo with good friends, and then also to be able to do that supporting an amazing cause, like Sentebale."

The couple laugh together as Meghan presents him and his polo teammates with the trophy for winning the 2024 Royal Salute Polo Challenge to Benefit Sentebale© Alamy
Nacho spoke to HELLO! about who was the most competitive between him and Harry

Nacho revealed that he and Harry practice together every once in a while and speak often. "We stay in touch a lot, which is amazing to be able to, you know, have a friendship that feels like although sometimes we're not together-together, we are always together," he shared. "At least in my case, [I] feel and think about him a lot. So, it's always a good thing to be able to share that with someone."

But who is the more competitive one? "I think it goes both ways," the polo star admitted. 

Nacho confirmed that he is involved in the Sussexes' forthcoming polo series, which was filming at the event. "We've been working on this for a long time," he said. "It was always Harry's dream and passion to share the world, what it takes to be a really competitive polo player and show polo at the highest level."

The Duchess waved whilst holding hands with Nacho and Delphine's daughter© Alamy
Meghan has a close bond with Alba, Nacho and Delfina's daughter, Alba

Nacho added, "I cannot think of many people that can be better than him to be the kickoff of this storytelling."

And in case you’re wondering, Nacho can’t wait to see Archewell Productions' other Netflix series that will see Meghan celebrate the joys of cooking & gardening, entertaining and friendship. Speaking of friendship, Meghan’s bond with Delfina was on display at the event on Friday. 

Delfina and Meghan Markle holding hands
Delfina and Meghan are exceptionally close friends and were seen holding hands during the event

After posing for group photos with their husbands, the two walked off to the side holding hands, and when it was time to leave the step and repeat area, Nacho’s young daughter Alba and Meghan strolled together with their arms around each other. According to Nacho, Alba wanted to know why the Sussexes' daughter Lili wasn't there–same, Alba, same! 

Relief from the sun came in the media tent, where I along with other members of the press watched the matches. As I told Dr. Sophie Chandauka MBE, Sentebale's board chair, I found myself learning a lot about polo on Friday! In fact, I was yesterday years old when I learned what a chukker is—a period of play like innings and quarters (the more you know!).

Meghan Markle pictured with her arm around Alba Figueras
Meghan was seen with her arm around the youngster, who was curious where Lilibet was

Prince Harry ended up scoring a goal during his match against his pal Nacho’s team, the Grand Champions. At the end of the day, the Royal Salute Sentebale Team—Harry’s— was victorious. 

While the Duke had his buddy Nacho on the field, Meghan was joined by another one of her friends, Serena Williams.. The Duchess arrived for the presentation of the prizes in a golf cart with Delfina and Serena. Meghan emerged from behind the stage to present her husband with his team's trophy, and the two shared a tender kiss. See the sweet moment in the video below.

Meghan shares a kiss with Prince Harry when presenting the winner's cup

Although Harry and his team took home the trophy, the real winner of the day was Sentebale. The match on April 12 was a fundraising event for the charity founded by the Duke and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.

Discussing the importance of the day, Dr. Chandauka told me, "Sentebale has been an organization that has been going for about 17 years. And this is an opportunity for us to tell the story of Sentebale in the context of the United States. 

LISTEN: A Right Royal Scoop

"As you know, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso both come from the Commonwealth. And so most of our funders and community of support have come from the Commonwealth. And it's an opportunity for us to introduce ourselves to the U.S. marketplace and we're trying to figure out how we create relationships of substance in the U.S., so this is a really good way to do that as a start."

Dr. Chandauka shared that they're "hoping that by doing the work we're doing here, we'll be done with about a million hopefully in the bank for us during the course of this week."

LOVE THE ROYALS? JOIN THE CLUB!

Princess Kate wearing black and white polka dots and a hat

If you are reading this, the chances are you are obsessed with all things royalty – which is just as well because so are we! So obsessed, in fact, we’ve launched a club solely dedicated to covering them. So welcome to The HELLO! Royal Club. We would love you to join us there…

What is it?

Interactive community offering behind-the-scenes access, exclusive royal interviews, unmissable royal insights, and an illustrious royal Inner Circle.

Member benefits

  • Two weekly newsletters, one from Emily Nash
  • Video posts and audio notes from Emily Nash and the HELLO! Royal team
  • Access to our royal community and opportunity to interact with club writers and members
  • Participate in polls, comments and discussion threads
  • Royal-themed puzzles with a weekly prize to be won
  • Access to our Ask Me Anything sessions with our journalists
  • Invitations to in-person and virtual events
  • A subscription to the digital edition of HELLO! Magazine (Worth £82 annually)*
  • Future ‘Inner Circle’ benefits

By royal decree

You are royally invited to join The HELLO! Royal Club – and then to go forth and spread the word to your fellow royal fans. See you in the club!

Sign up to HELLO Daily! for the best royal, celebrity and lifestyle coverage

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Royalty

See more