Prince Harry was in high spirits after playing a polo match with his close friend Nacho Figueras, as Meghan Markle watched proudly, in Montecito over the weekend.
The Duke of Sussex, 37, was in his element as he played a friendly game of polo with his old friend Nacho on Saturday at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club for the annual Harry East Memorial Tournament.
Meanwhile, the Duchess was spotted watching the event alongside Nacho’s wife Delphine and close friend Markus Anderson.
Nacho, who has been described by Tatler as the “David Beckham of polo” and “one of the most recognizable players in the world”, later shared a snap alongside Prince Harry on Instagram.
Prince Harry, 37, was in high spirits after playing a polo match with his close friend Nacho Figueras, as Meghan Markle watched proudly, in Montecito over the weekend
In the blink of an eye, the Duke, who grew up playing the game with his older brother Prince William, 39, was beaming as he posed alongside Nacho and two other players.
Meanwhile, the Argentinian appeared to playfully stick his tongue out at Prince Harry.
The duo dressed in matching polo outfits for the outing, including a sleek green top and white jodhphurs.
Sharing the photo, which was taken by his daughter Aurora, Nacho wrote: ”Delighted to be riding alongside my friend Prince Harry.
Nacho, who has been described by Tatler as the ‘David Beckham of polo’ and ‘one of the most recognizable players in the world, has actively spoken out in defense of Harry and Meghan over the years (pictured, with Delphine in 2018)
“We have ridden together many times over the years and now we are both parents, it is very special to be able to spend this time together.”
The Duchess was spotted watching as the men played, wearing a smart white blazer and black mini skirt.
Meanwhile, she donned a pair of large black sunglasses to shield her eyes from the California weather.
Meghan was pictured alongside Markus, 41, who she has been close friends with for several years.
Meghan also attended the polo match, where she was joined by close friend Markus Anderson, 41, whom she has known for several years (pictured in 2017)
Mr Anderson – a former waiter – has known the Duchess of Sussex since before her relationship with Prince Harry.
A global consultant for the Soho House private club group, he arranged for Meghan and Harry to meet secretly at the company’s properties in Toronto, London and Somerset while they were dating.
Dubbed the “King of Soho House,” Anderson’s long list of high-profile friends includes Fifty Shades of Gray actor Jamie Dornan, TV host Cat Deeley and model Alexa Chung.
As the world learned that Meghan and Harry were dating, Markus joined the Duchess at the Invictus Games in Toronto in 2017.
The father-of-four attended the Sussex wedding and played polo alongside Harry in various polo matches
It later emerged that he had personally recommended Sara Latham, the powerful political PR guru, as Meghan and Harry’s £140,000-a-year communications chief.
The club where the group met is not far from Montecito, where Harry and his wife Meghan live with their two children, Archie, who turns three on Friday, and Lilibet, who is ten months old.
Nacho, who has been described by Tatler as the “David Beckham of polo” and “one of the most recognizable players in the world”, has actively spoken out in defense of Harry and Meghan over the years.
The father-of-four attended the Sussex wedding and played polo alongside Harry in various polo matches.
Nacho is believed to be close to the Duke and Duchess and has previously called Meghan ‘amazing’
He is an ambassador for Sentebale, an organization founded by the prince dedicated to helping children and young people who or whose families are suffering from HIV and AIDS in Lesotho, South Africa.
He appeared on Ellen’s show in September 2019 to announce that he would “stand up for his friends” with his life.
During the interview, he also described Meghan as “amazing” and revealed how she “gave up everything for the man she loves”.
Last year he launched a selection of six fragrances, including one named ‘Windsor’, which alluded to a ‘fraternity of kindred spirits’ with the Duke.
Friends of a Prince and Master of the King’s Game: Inside the Fabulous World of Nacho Figueras and His Model Wife Ralph Lauren
Argentinian Ignacio Figueras (known as Nacho) may be one of the best polo players in the world, but he has earned a few other references to his name, from model to philanthropist and is a close friend of the Royals British.
The professional polo player, who has a 6-goal handicap and an estimated net worth of $30 million, has modeled for Ralph Lauren since 2000.
But modeling was never the goal for the athlete, who started her career just to earn some extra cash and bring more attention to her beloved sport. It all took off when he was approached by photographer Bruce Weber at a party in The Hamptons hosted by Calvin Klein’s ex-wife, Kelly, who encouraged him to make his modeling debut.
Strike a pose: Nacho recently traveled to Rome, Italy, before taking part in the charity polo match at Sentebale, which Prince Harry co-founded; photographed in November 2018
While this avenue of his career brought his objectively handsome face into everyday homes via glossy fashion magazines and television commercials, the game of polo has always been his true passion.
Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he started playing football at the middle age of 9 years after his father introduced him to the sport. He became a professional polo player when he was only 17 years old. After a stint in Europe, he found himself on the White Birch polo team based in Bridgehampton, New York.
But Nacho’s love of polo and investing in charity work is what ultimately led him to his most famous relationship.
He and Prince Harry share common interests, one of them being, of course, polo.
The couple played side by side in charity matches over the past decade, which eventually led to them becoming close friends.
Score! Nacho congratulates Prince Harry after scoring in the Sentebale Handa Polo Cup charity match in Rome; picture may 2019
Charity Polo: Nacho Figueras and Prince Harry hold the trophy after the Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup, which helps raise funds to support children and young adults affected by HIV in Lesotho and Botswana; photographed in June 2017
Prince Harry and Nacho regularly attend Sentebale charity matches to raise funds for Sentebale, an organization co-founded by Prince Harry that supports children and young people affected by HIV in Southern Africa.
Nacho shared that he even met the new royal in London before the game, Prince Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsorif that’s any indication of the closeness of the two.
As well as forming a special friendship with Prince Harry, the game of polo also brought him to his wife Delfina Blaquierthe daughter of an Argentinian polo player.
The couple fittingly first met at a polo match in Buenos Aires in 1997. They started dating in early 1998 and welcomed their first son in 2000 and got married. in December 2005.
The couple now have four children set: Hilario; Dawn; Artemo; and Alba.
Raise your glass: Nacho and Delfina recently attended the 12th Annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey; photographed in June
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