Polo is a sport that has always been associated with royalty, good taste and exclusivity, this may be perhaps, since the moment it came to the West from the hand of representatives of the British government in the mid-nineteenth century, An image has always been maintained that those who practice it are people belonging to the upper class; Since, in ancient Persia, where the first records of its practice are kept, this was a sport reserved for the nobility, high-ranking military personnel and, above all, for the royal family.
This is how this sport after falling in love with the British and therefore the royal family, became famous among those who played it, being a source of pride for those who could hold not only titles but also their dedication to this sport.
If we take a tour of the royal family in the UK, it is easy to know that everyone in that family is a polo lover.
Prince Harry, Prince William, Prince Charles and; Without leaving out Prince Philip and King George VI, they have all played polo at some point in their lives and continue to do so.
Prince Philip was one of those responsible for polo becoming a family tradition, after learning in Malta from his uncle, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, who taught him to play there in the middle of the war and, as a consequence, it decided to return to England with every intention of continuing to practice it; so much so that he wrote one of the most famous polo books called, "An introduction to polo." When the war ended and back in England he founded the Windsor Park team and later the Guards Polo Club, one of the most famous in the world.
The inheritance of the sport in the royal family was preserved from the moment in which Prince Philip gave a mallet to his son Prince Charles, at the age of fifteen; Four years later the Prince of Wales was already beginning to compete, becoming an avid player with an enviable career, until finally in 2015 he decided to retire.
It should be noted that polo is not only for the royal family, on the contrary, nowadays it is a sport that is enjoyed in more and more places. However, thanks to polo, it has been possible to raise funds for different social causes, where several million dollars have been collected in favor of those who need it, taking advantage of the fact that those who practice this sport come from borrowing families.
Windsor family in a polo championship | Image: Getty Images
Now, polo was not only limited to games and men, but it was the perfect space to share with the family, this is how little by little a culture around sports was created, where not only the uniform, the horses and the trophy; but also how the ladies attended the event. We highlight the attendance on several occasions of Queen Elizabeth who was a frequent visitor to the events, Princess Diana was also a recurring guest at the championships, always supporting her husband Prince Charles, for which she was accompanied by her children, who later they would become the family's polo legacy.
Princess Diana in a polo championship | Image: Getty Images
At present the Dukes of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are friends of Nacho Figueras and his wife Delfina Blaquier; who are one of the most influential couples in the field of Argentine polo and, with whom they have teamed up to carry out various charity events.
It is clear that polo has been and will continue to be one of the most staunch traditions of the royal family, which in turn has marked the worldview of how polo is lived and felt, with the peculiarity that only a few sports carry the image that only nobles, princes and kings practice it even more when the reality is that anyone can play it.