The final stop on Prince Harry’s visit to USA was the Royal Salute Polo Cup at the Greenwich Polo Club in Connecticut on May 15th. The prince’s Land Rover-sponsored team, which included polo great Malcolm Borwick competed against the St. Regis Team lead by polo-playing Ralph Lauren model Nacho Figueras in an event that benefited Sentebale, the nonprofit organization founded by Prince Harry that provides services to the vulnerable people of Lesotho.
The event took place on the beautiful and lush grounds of Peter Brant’s Greenwich Polo Club in the backcountry of Greenwich.
At an elegant luncheon that preceded the polo, Prince Harry spoke eloquently about his visit to Lesotho in February and the needs of the children there, many of whom are infected with or affected by HIV. The prince founded Sentebale with Prince Seeiso from the Lesotho Royal family in response to the plight of the neediest and most vulnerable of Sesotho’s people. Lesotho, a country of 1.8 million, has more than 488,500 orphans and the world’s third highest HIV infection rate.
The Royal Salute Cup and luncheon was a star-studded event attended by an invitation-only crowd that included Peter Brant, his wife (and former supermodel) Stephanie Seymour, designers Jason Wu and Valentino, television host Gayle King, His Grace Torquhil Ian Campbell (the 13th Duke of Argyll and Royal Salute Heritage expert), Christian Porta (CEO of Pernod Ricard) and former Victoria’s Secret angel Karolina Kurkova who presented Prince Harry’s victorious team with the Royal Salute Cup at the awards ceremony. The only female competitor, Dawn Jones, wife of actor Tommy Lee Jones, played on the St. Regis team and was awarded the silver platter for most valuable player.
Royal Salute, the world’s leading luxury Scotch whisky, is a leading international supporter of polo with events taking place around the world, many of which include the participation of Prince Harry and Prince William, including Santa Barbara, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Beijing, Jodphur, Sydney, Dubai and London.
Photo credit: Photos by Carrie Coolidge
