I haven’t been keeping up with all of the travel bans for Americans, so I’m just assuming that 99.9% of Americans cannot travel to Europe this year because we are so crazy and stupid and our bodies are riddled with coronavirus. Still, there are some exceptions, like if Chris Evans wants to eat ice cream with Lily James in London, apparently. But what about British citizens living in America? Can they travel back to Britain at any time, if they quarantine for a few weeks? I would assume so. So I actually think Prince Harry is probably capable of flying back to the UK, but he’s choosing not to. Fair enough. Apparently, Prince William did want Harry to come back… for a polo match. And now William is doing it without Harry and without many spectators.
It has been a highlight of the Royal calendar for 15 years, as Prince William and his brother Harry compete in a high-profile polo clash, raising millions of pounds for causes close to their hearts. But this year Harry will be absent from the King Power Royal Charity Polo Day, remaining ensconced in his Californian mansion as the brothers become increasingly detached.
A source tells me: ‘It’s such a shame that Harry can’t make the polo this year but he won’t come back to Britain unless it’s absolutely necessary.’
At last year’s event, the pair reportedly had a furious row even before the first chukka – though that was denied by Buckingham Palace – and the new biography Finding Freedom describes how Kate and Meghan were ‘distant’ as they watched from the sidelines with their children.
Yet I’m told the Duke of Cambridge was still desperate for this year’s event to go ahead as planned at the end of September, even given that the strict rules about outdoor gatherings designed to curb the spread of coronavirus would severely limit the guest list. While weddings are restricted to 30 people, there is enough space at the secret venue for this year’s match to allow 48 spectators and still maintain social distancing. But that’s well down on the 400 or so celebrities who usually attend, raising fortunes for the brothers’ charities such as Tusk Trust and Sentebale.
The restricted guest list will make the event the hottest ticket in town – especially as it is never short of drama. At the 2017 competition, held at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Watership Down estate in Berkshire, bolshie Australian polo player Beau Skerrett labelled Harry a ‘spoilt brat’ after clashing on the field. He boasted about giving the fiery Royal a dressing down after telling him to ‘f*** off in front of a crowd that pay £5,000 to shake his hand’. In contrast, he called William ‘the perfect gentleman’.
I remember reading, years ago, that Harry was always the better polo player and that William’s ass hurt about that. I also don’t believe William is the “perfect gentleman” about any sport, especially one involving competing with his brother. Also: this story made me wonder about Harry’s polo horses! I’m sure he owns at least one polo horse, probably several. So… are those horses still living in England or did Harry bring them to California? Hm. Anyway, I will miss seeing Harry on his polo pony, if only because the sight of sweaty, red-cheeked Harry seemed to do it for Meghan. Archie is still their Polo Baby.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I’d love it if no one showed up just to spite him.
It’s a charitable event
@ Anna +1
Not everyone feels the same as on here
William is petulant, abusive, and rumoured to misuse charity funds raised by other people. He’s also shown to do next to nothing for charity overall. Why anyone would donate to one of his charitable schemes is beyond me.
This second pic of William…lol…you are killing me!
Harry has always been better than Will at sports as far back to their childhood. And Will has always been whiny and petty about it.
Let him go ahead with the match if it’s that important to him. It seems he wants to make a thing out of Harry’s absence. A podcast made a good point that those two shouldn’t work together again, not even in an unofficial capacity. When Harry & Meghan go back to U.K., and they will, they should focus on their independent work and only interact with family as family, not a firm. They are no longer working Royals and with the pandemic and quarantine requirements, they just can’t fly over there for a one off event.
I agree. Will has been riding off the back of Harry his whole life. It’s time he stood on his own and do his own thing. I’m not sure he’s capable but he’ll never know until he tries. He may surprise himself and every one else. Harry can’t be his crutch forever.
It’s a big fundraiser, I’m sure Harry wouldnt want the charity to miss out just because he cant go back for it.
@mynameispearl, I’m sure he supports the fundraising goals but it’s not Harry’s decision nor has he mentioned it at all. Even if he did go, the headlines wouldn’t be about the charity, but if he flew on a commercial or private jet, is Meghan with him,did he break quarantine, what’s the brothers body language. As Snuffles said, this is Williams show to run and decision to make.
I think its safe to say Harry is pretty much better at anything than William – burns his ass all day long, hence his support of the press smear campaign.
There was talk years ago of Harry being a professional polo player, but that was scratched off the list as not being allowed.
This family is going to have to start getting realistic about allowing the second sons and daughters (and third, fourth, etc.) more freedom in terms of picking professions. I guess you can argue polo is too risky, but they should figure out something as going forward I don’t think they will get away with having all the monarch’s kids (and grandkids if old enough) be lifelong working royals like now. And with all the crap that comes with marrying into this family, marrying rich a la the Casiraghi boys is a long shot. Unless you’re a desperate type like the Millers, I doubt most uber-wealthy people would want their kids marrying into this circus.
It wasn’t that it was too risky. It was considered too posh and frivolous. I get that, but it if he had the talent and skills to compete at the professional athletic level? Should have allowed that. Look at the heirs to the thrones who have been allowed to compete in the Olympics, and who make plenty of money off that (cough, Zara, cough).
@DU he wasn’t better academically!
…because Harry had undiagnosed dyslexia. It’s really important to you that William comes out on top isn’t it?
William was so much “better” academically yet couldn’t figure out a way to carve out a fulfilling work life of his own for himself, pre throne or heir apparent, so who’s really the smarter one practically?
Harry is also the better pilot from all accounts, the better fundraiser, the better socializer/ambassador, and apparently the better husband judging by a distinct lack of flowers floating about him.
It’ll be a while before we can say 100% but I dare predict that Harry might be the better father with the way he’s shielded his son from all this royal chaos and is dedicated to raising him in relative anonymity.
Typical W&K stan (Jolie), attacking Harry for his dyslexia.
BTW William was given special tutoring and altered/simplified lesson plans to get him through all his schools, and through St Andrews with a degree. No one was going to fail the heir to the throne, but his younger brother? The schools didn’t even bother to figure out he had dyslexia until he was 17.
Remember the exclusive that William was going to go back to his Air Ambulance job to help fight COVID? This polo story sounds just as bogus and seems like another KP leak. William is “thinking” of doing a polo match but he really isn’t. Last year the press was saying that Harry and William had decided to stop doing the polo matches so I don’t get why KP is floating this story….I take that back. This is another attempt by KP to get William in the news.
Has he tried sending an email and signing it W?
I’d be surprised if William has ever sent an email in his life. But that “email” from Kate and these new stories involving William are nothing but KP attempts to reclaim the spotlight from Harry and Meghan.
He wrote on twitter and signed it W. A message about the rugby player or was it football?
Meghan and Harry have been out and about doing hands-on COVID charity in LA for a while now in addition to all their video calls, so I’m sure continued headlines of their work is starting to really grate on Workshy.
Reads like William is trying to fake up a bromance with Beau Skerrett, because he’s jealous of Harry’s close friendship with Nacho.
@Kaiser, there is a world class polo club in Santa Barbara. He could have his horses stabled there. It is where W&K attended a polo match during their weird ‘let’s visit California while on a tour of Canada’ gig. The guy who arranged it was shady, iirc, and all ties were cut with him within a couple years.
I vividly remember the odd California visit. Kate has rarely seemed so happy “working” to me as when she got to walk a Hollywood red carpet with celebrities. The irony of complaining about Meghan lol.
The happiest I have ever seen Kate is when she met Idris Elba. There is a picture of it where she looks like she is almost hopping up and down in glee.
@Sid Well I can’t blame the old girl for that one. I did just google it & found a picture on eonline of her hyena grinning at him (with a little bump-it ponytail, no less) & Idris looks slightly uneasy.
Omg I just googled the picture of Kate with Idris Elba and it is too funny! She looks positively delighted (although, like another poster said, I can’t blame her for that) but he’s looking at her with the most puzzled look on his face like “What are you saying?” Lol
This is the dumbest Daily Fail article ever. William doesn’t need to ride a horse, he already is a horse, at least one end of the horse.
Harry would have to quarantine for 2 weeks even as a British citizen.
Sure jan😂😂boldy is trying to salvage his image for when no one shows up. @kaiser Californian has alot of polo events and harry will be just fine😉 he’ll be closer to the 💰💵 and now without restrictions can raise alot of funds for his patronages and Archewell. And I could see movie stars rushing to mingle with him and Meghan and them getting lots of sponsorships.
http://www.seecalifornia.com/festivals/california-polo.html
Exactly. Harry could EASILY throw his own charity polo match in Santa Barbara for Sentebale and the like. Celebrities would crawl out of the woodwork just to be associated with him and a Meghan and probably over the novelty of polo “sport of kings”. They would probably get a huge kick out of cosplaying Aristocratic for the day.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he did hold an event like that. The fundraising potential would be enormous.
That whole part of Southern California is dotted with stables. Heck even up here in NorCal, where there is money there are horses, and Polo matches. Harry doesn’t need to fly 5k miles for polo.
Would anyone travel in a pandemic to participate in a charity match for a brother who won’t even say hello in public?
We all know that if Harry were to show up it would be craziness the royal reporters will be Milking this whole brother reunion to the max . This is just William trying to get his names In press after being overshadowed for weeks with the kate stories about how she is the glue that hold the royal family together and if it wasn’t for her the royal family will collapse.
It is an ANNUAL charity match
Which likely should not be taking place in the midst of a pandemic, especially in a country that has failed so badly in its response. William is doing this for PR, and anti-Harry PR at that. Obvious.
Great life, controling what the public sees, no real people to ask difficult questions, no crowds to impress, no holding him accountable for anything. Covid has made princing “at its best”, smh.
It definitely seemed Meghan went “SPLOOSH” watching Harry that day. You could see it in her demeanor. It was cute to see.