Prince Harry ended his US tour by thanking the people of America for their “extraordinary generosity” and playing in his fund-raising Sentebale Polo Cup match to help fund the work of his charity.
Speaking to the 400 polo guests who helped raise the funds for his Sentebale charity, Prince Harry said: "This is the last day of my tour around the United States. Thank you for a wonderful week.
“I have witnessed the extraordinary generosity of the people of this great nation.”
The match, which saw Prince Harry play against a team which included Dawn Jones, the wife of Hollywood star Tommy Lee Jones, was staged at Greenwich Polo Club, founded by billionaire businessman and art collector Peter Brant.
The Prince visited the White House, where he received glowing praise from First Lady Michelle Obama last Thursday, for serving his country as an officer in the British Army and for supporting America’s wounded servicemen and women.
And Prince Harry spent the weekend promoting America’s Warrior Games where British servicemen and women have been competing in Paralympic-style events against a large US team and troops from other countries.
The polo match was staged at the club in the exclusive Connecticut town of Greenwich. With its large colonial homes, white picket fence fences and immaculate grass verges it is a semi-rural retreat for executives, bankers and lawyers who commute to Manhattan.
Prince Harry played in a team captained by Malcolm Borthwick, an England regular, and their opponents were led by the Argentinian Nacho Figueras, a Ralph Lauren model, who was recently appointed an ambassador for Sentebale. Famous faces who watched the match included the fashion designers Valentino and Jason Wu, model Karolina Kurkova and the reality TV star Olivia Palermo.
They saw Prince Harry score the winning goal in a hard-fought game that ended Sentebale 4 St Regis 3.
Before the match Prince Harry spoke about the work of Sentebale to guests.
He said: "Since we last played for the Cup in Brazil a year ago, Sentebale has taken great strides forward. Our Mamohato Camps – what today is all about – have now established Network Clubs nationwide, reaching into the most remote, rural areas.
“Whilst Sentebale may be evolving rapidly, the situation on the ground in Lesotho remains critical.
“The HIV pandemic continues to leave thousands of children without parents and family structures to guide them through life.
“Without this support, basic needs such as food, shelter and care remain unmet, leaving children vulnerable and very often without much hope in their lives.”
Prince Harry and his winning team mates were presented with a trophy when they left the field and all received a kiss from Ms Kurkova.
Source: PrinceHenryOfWales.org
