Polo has been a sport much-loved by members of the Royal Family for centuries – being dubbed “the sport of kings” – and was a firm favourite with Prince Philip and King Charles, who retired from polo in November 2005, just days after turning 57.
Prince William and Prince Harry soon took up the sport as well, having been brought up cheering on their father from a young age.
Both brothers still play the sport, with Harry having joined a club in California soon after his move to the US and William competes in the annual Royal Charity Polo Cup.
Experts say the pair, who have had little contact this year owing to the Sussexes spate of public attacks on the Royal Family, have very different styles on the pitch. Here Express.co.uk takes a closer look at the two brothers’ polo rivalry.
“Polo is often a reflection of your personality,” international polo champion Malcolm Borwick has said as he weighed in on Harry and William’s approach to the sport.
He said: “Prince Harry is by nature very optimistic as a person and always pushing boundaries, always challenging people, and that’s how he plays polo.
“Prince William is a defensive player. He’s very controlled and plays really well in his role in the back.”
Another long-time commentator, who analysed the pair’s polo style but wished to remain anonymous, described William as a “gifted player” while Harry is more vocal and “fiery”.
They said: “The Duke of Cambridge [William] is gifted because he has had to overcome the fact that he is left-handed and he has to play polo with his right hand.
“So he had to learn the game to reorder his brain, if you like, in order to be able to be part of a polo team.
“He is a steady player, he is balanced, he rides exceptionally well, and he plays his part as a number 2 player in the forward line.
“He can be trusted as well to know the rules and get in the right place and he never gets frustrated or cross, he plays with courtesy, knowledge and fun.”
Harry has a very different style, with the commentator saying: “Of the three of them [Charles, William and Harry], he is the more fiery, he is a real competitor.
“He gets a little more excited than the other two, but that befits his nature in terms of having been a soldier in Afghanistan.
“He is determined, he knows the game well and he is very, very effective.
“A little more vocal than his father and his brother and he is always an asset in the right team.
“And he could be trusted to play up in the front because he is a very good rider indeed and he is an extremely good striker of the ball, and the advantage there of course is that he is right-handed, so he finds it slightly easier than his brother.”
William still plays in several charity matches and will participate in the Royal Charity Polo Cup today (Thursday, July 6).
Harry also still plays, having joined the Los Padres team which, based in Santa Barbara, is led by his friend and professional player Nacho Figueras.
He participates in the annual Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup alongside Nacho, which fundraises for Sentebale — an organisation he co-founded to help children and young people in Southern Africa dealing with poverty, HIV/AIDS or COVID-19.
