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Prince Harry makes rare public appearance in Colorado for cause close to his heart

The Duchess of Sussex was not among the spectators

Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
August 20, 2021
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The Duke of Sussex travelled to Aspen, Colorado from his Montecito home to take part in a charity event close to his heart on Thursday.

Prince Harry played polo at the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup, which raises critical funding for the charity to support vulnerable children in Southern Africa, who are impacted by extreme poverty, inequality and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The Duke's wife, Meghan, was not among the spectators at the polo match, having remained in California with the couple's young children, Archie, two, and two-month-old Lilibet.

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Harry was joined on the field by Sentebale Ambassador and Argentine polo player, Nacho Figueras, as they played against the Royal Salute and U.S. Polo Assn. teams.

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Sentebale was founded by the Duke of Sussex and Prince Seeiso in 2006. Sentebale means 'forget-me-not' in the Sesotho language, representing a pledge to remember the most vulnerable children in Southern Africa.

Last year's Polo Cup was postponed amid the pandemic and this year's event has been significantly reduced in size. To help meet the need of further support, the Duke is donating his time as well as honouring his personal commitment to donate a portion of his proceeds from his upcoming memoir by committing $1.5 million (£1.1million) to Sentebale. 

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Sentebale shared a series of photos from the event

In a statement before the match, Harry said: "Our refocussed mission at Sentebale is about addressing the most-immediate needs of vulnerable children in Southern Africa, helping them access vital health services, receive necessary care, and build skills to be more resilient and self-sufficient in the future.

"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. 

sussexes sentebale polo 2018

Harry and Meghan at the 2018 Sentebale Polo

"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.

"This is one of several donations I plan to make to charitable organisations and I'm grateful to be able to give back in this way for the children and communities who gravely need it."

For more information about Sentebale's work, go to www.sentebale.org

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