Prince Harry All Smiles At Polo Match In Colorado, Pledges $1.5 Million Charity Donation
Prince Harry was all smiles at his first public appearance since his daughter, Lilibet Diana, was born in June — and it's likely he made others smile too, thanks to his generous charity donation.
The 36-year-old attended the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup on Thursday, August 19, in Aspen, Colo. He was joined by longtime pal polo player Ignacio "Nacho" Figueras, who shared a photo with the Duke of Sussex on his Instagram account.
"How lucky I am to be able to ride along with you in your mission of making the world a better place for people not as fortunate as us. It is your commitment and passion to give back that is my inspiration," Figueras captioned the post. "It was so great spending a couple of days with you my friend."
In a statement, Harry said that the game followed local COVID-19 guidelines and was set up with the intention to raise funds for children in Lesotho and Botswana who are impacted by "extreme poverty, inequality, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic."
Harry has committed $1.5 million to charity, the which is believed to come from the proceeds of his upcoming memoir.
Harry said that he plans to make "several donations" to charities in the near future. "I'm grateful to be able to give back in this way for the children and communities who gravely need it," he said.
"We are incredibly grateful to our gracious hosts in Aspen, to ISPS Handa and the many other sponsors, and to everyone involved in making this year's match not only possible—but most importantly, as safe as possible for the protection of donors, players, staff, and the entire community," Harry said.
"The Sentebale Polo Cup is critical to securing the funds needed to advance this important mission, and I'm thrilled to be able to support Sentebale, both in person and financially through a separate charitable donation to meet this immediate need," the statement continued.
Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho co-founded the charity in 2006.
Meghan Markle attended a Sentebale polo match in 2018, not too long after the royal couple tied the knot. Figueras gave the Suits alum his seal of approval. At the time he wrote on Instagram that "this girl really rocks. The more I know you the more I am convinced that you both found each other to change the world."
Markle reportedly did not attend the event this week.
Harry's memoir is slated for release in late 2022. In a press release, Harry said the book will be about "the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned—I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think."
