The Prince of polo

(Written by Toby Rose)
Prince Harry is everywhere. Very much the action Royal. At the same time he displays a strong empathy with peoples he meets. To rework his mothers moniker…he is the People`s Prince.

Not an ounce of pomp. In an attack helicopter, in Afghanistan, in the arms of a beauty, coming to the aid of a mugged pal in South London and, recently, in Rio. What a way to finish off his Royal Tour – a convincing win at polo in Sao Paulo. A globetrotting Prince of Polo. It was Prince Harry`s first visit to Brazil and by way of a souvenir he a scooped the Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup in a match which took place at Haras Larissa, Campinas, Sao Paulo.

It was a convincing win of 6-3.

Christian Porta, Chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers, paid tribute to the polo playing Prince`s winning team. “We`re honoured to support Sentebale for the second year. It was great to witness such a well-played game, with the Prince`s team taking the cup”.
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The recent singlehanded glad-handing tour of some of the most sun kissed and scenic parts of the Americas was a triumph. He handled gold medalist sprinters, republican prime ministers and 12 year old blind girls with the same ease. His style was relaxed and always engaged and had the talent of finding the right tone in all circumstances. The rules of engagement Of Captain Wales were simple there were no rules.

Seen from the outside this was like a dream gap year n the space of ten days. And the event was topped off with a very juicy cherry in the cake..or in this case Sugar Loaf Mountain, ending his solo tour in Rio.

A carefree spirit was much in evidence when he energetically dance the samba with the ladies and plunged into the favalas. Here he showed that he didn`t just do handshakes he could shake his hips as well. All executed with a deft common touch. But it was at the polo that Harry showed that he is not just a beaming smiling People`s Princes with a world class line in small talk. He a player with talent and skill which saw his team lifting the trophy.

The sporty nation of Brazil will have seen his hi jinks in Jamaica with Usain Bolt and loved his lighthearted approach to sport. This from a nation so proud of Pele and its world cup winning soccer squad.

After all the photo opps things got serious when he climbed on his polo mount. Being pukka with the chukka and twisting and turning his steed in a fast moving match is bound to thrill spectators. And when you have a competitive competitor like Prince Harry, it is a level playing field for the royal horseman. No amount of blueblood or size of silver spoon makes a difference and the crowd knows this and loves it all the more. Their Prince is one of the people and fights his corner with the commoners. Or some at least some rich dudes and artistos.

Speaking of his work for Sentebale the Prince said `I hope that with the position that I`m in and the title that I have, I will continue to be able to use that to bring attention to these disadvantaged kids all over the world.`

Christian Porta, Chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers also said: `We`re honoured to support Sentebale for the second year. It was great to witness such a well-played game, with the Prince`s team taking the Cup.

`Royal Salute World Polo has a fantastic presence in Brazil, including Triple Coroa Tournament at the Helvetia Polo Club in Sǟ¶œo Paulo. This amazing country, with a thirst for luxury is a natural home for Royal Salute and we look forward to a great future here.`

The game demonstrated the immense strength and skill of the `sport of kings` with Most Valuable Player awarded by British jeweller Garrard to Calao Mello who scored three goals.

The Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup further highlights the Scotch whisky brand`s commitment to international polo, with recent tournaments including the Foundation Polo Challenge in California, the Royal Salute China Open Beijing, the Royal Salute Maharaja of Jodhpur Golden Jubilee Cup in India and the Royal Salute UAE Nation`s Cup, Dubai.