| Why William & Harry Love The Sport of Kings |
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| Monday, 31 July 2006 | ||||
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For the more experienced players of this most ancient, but still hugely popular game, and accustomed as they are to such a response, there will be an emphatic shake of the head and perhaps a small laugh. "No.....polo on horseback!" If you'd made a reference to polo to, for example, someone alive during the life of Christ, no such confusion would have occurred. The response, however, would have been much the same once the fact one was referring to horseback polo had been cleared up — a reaction of slightly fearful awe, followed by a question: "Really?" It is not surprising, however, that such a reply spans the ages. When polo first came into existence, in the fifth century before Christ, it was the reserve of the elite and the armed forces. In fact, the Mongols (falsely believed by many to have invented the sport) replaced the usual ball with a goat head. In Iran, it was enjoyed by nobility and from there passed on to be enjoyed by Chinese noblemen. Polo mallets are featured in many Royal Coats of Arms in China, and even the Radiant Emperor himself enjoyed a chukka (that's polo speak for the seven minute periods into which the game is divided). Royal patronage, too, became common: it was not considered shocking when a Raja would put perhaps 50% of his country's budget into the game. Tamerlane, the Mongol, had a treasured polo field still visible today. 
The sport of polo is, at its origins, truly noble.This status has stayed with the sport even as the sport itself has evolved throughout history. It was not until modern ages that the sport appeared in Europe, where it was immediately a glittering game. Unlike most sports, it was never one aimed at everybody, it being immediately introduced into military training, where it remains to this day. It's popularity is at an all time high thanks to the young, glamorous royal set who've now followed their ancestors by taking up the ancient game. The first player of note in the British royal family was, in fact, not always British. When Prince Philip of Greece was seven years old, he was introduced to riding by his cousin Prince Michael of Romania. However, it was to be some years before he became hooked on the game, having been further encouraged and handed a polo mallet many years later, in adulthood, by his Uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten. Although he didn't immediately take up the sport, by 1950 the-then Princess Elizabeth's husband had accepted Uncle Dickie's offer to own and house some ponies of his own. 
Besides the persuasion of his uncle, Philip was considering his wife, 'Lilibet'. An avid horsewoman, she rather enjoyed watching her husband play during his days in the navy. In truth, the future monarch was less keen on more common sports, such as football and rugby.At this time, and indeed until much later, it was rare for women to play the dangerous, fast-paced game, so the Queen — although a very competent rider — was content to take a passive role, supporting her husband and presenting awards whilst continuing her own ardent passion for horses through breeding racehorses and riding around the great parks near such homes as Windsor Castle. One member of her family who was never going to be content watching, however, was Prince Charles. He'd ridden his entire life, as had his sister, Princess Anne. However, the heir to the throne was never quite as involved in general horsemanship as the rest of his family (much to their ridicule) until he himself took up polo after watching his father compete in his early teens. Charles had not been so good as the rest of his family at riding and horse care, but in polo he excelled. His progress was not stopped when he went to university, earning his half-Blue playing for Cambridge. As he grew ever more into his public duties, the Prince of Wales refused to let extensive travel or his ongoing workload slow him down; almost wherever he went, and often with the help of his polo manager, Major Ronald Ferguson (father of Sarah, Duchess of York) he would manage to fit a chukka or two into his hectic schedule. This allowed the Prince to play with and against some of the best international players and at some of the world's finest clubs. Although the world of horses is rife with nepotism, Charles had found something at which his he wasn't simply 'a royal'. He was an equal, for talent on horseback and, most especially, in such a fast and at times dangerous sport as polo cannot be faked. Most of the future King's fellow competitors were relaxed about playing on the same field as a Prince of the Realm, they themselves being from wealthy and aristocratic backgrounds. 
Charles was a player of his own merit: there are no human substitutes in polo unless there is an injury, and to play as he did, he had to be as good as any non-titled player.The Prince's handicap eventually rose to four out of ten, an extremely notable achievement not even reached by many lower-level professionals and just one below the current top female player in the world (players are generally considered professionals at three). Charles kept up this competitive level of play until 2005, when it was announced that, after forty years, the Prince would be retiring from the game. It was later claimed he was urged to do so by his second wife, Camilla, who was fearful for her husband's safety. But the Prince of Wales didn't retire without leaving a legacy for the game. Born into his lifestyle of high-goal polo were sons William and Harry. From an early age, the young Princes became regulars on the sidelines, and were taught to ride just as soon as was humanly possible. Unlike their father, both have a natural talent as general horsemen, and showed their ponies during the very early years of their lives, winning rosettes at gymkhanas in Gloucestershire, close to their family's Highgrove home. It wasn't long, though, before both became attracted to polo. William began playing while at Eton and was, for a time, considered more interest in the sport than any other young royal. Reports suggested he was so keen to play polo and increase his skills that he ended his involvement in other activities he participated in at Eton to devote more time to playing for the school's team. 
William's desire to spend his gap year in Argentina, the world capital of polo, received widespread publicity, but his request was denied, it being believed his father feared his eldest son would be condemned as a playboy if he undertook such a working holiday.Within a couple years, Prince Harry superceded his older brother as the most prominent young royal player. Where William had been notably good, Harry was great. The three princes made their public debut together as Team Highgrove — named after the Wales family's country estate — in the summer of 2001. At the time it was noticed that Harry was a natural player and more of a daredevil on the field than his older brother. Harry, too, would play for Eton, leading the school to win the National School's Tournament.  From their 2001 debut as players rated just -1, the young princes' handicaps rose unusually quickly, as the boys benefited from ample time and limitless pony to practice their play under the guidance of their father and care of the top trainers in England.At the end of his years at Eton College, Harry's decision to join the army put him in a strong position to continue the sport for which he had developed a deep passion. As it in ancient times, the sport is still used actively in many regiments of the armed forces, to train both rider and horse who. Although no longer used to charge into battle, horse and rider are still trained in England for ceremonial and police purposes. Now in the Household Calvary, Harry competes regularly, both while in training with the army and at home on breaks. On special occasions, the Queen — a still-faithful supporter of the sport from the sidelines — is on hand to watch her grandsons play competitively. The Prince of Wales, while busy, still takes time out when he can to watch his sons play, and now the young princes' girlfriends have become equally enthusiastic supporters of the game. William and Harry both maintain a 1- goal handicap, a very respectable rating, although Harry is universally seen as the better and stronger player. When they appear on the same team, William is most often seen as position 1 with Harry in 2. These are positions generally, though not always, left for the two least experienced players, with 2 being slightly stronger than 1.  Their father, Charles, most often played at 4, where the strongest hitter, usually one of the most experienced players, is positioned as security.Unlike William, Harry was allowed to spend a few weeks in Argentina during his gap year, although his outings on horseback were cancelled due to a knee injury he'd incurred. But while the three princes make up the core of royal polo playing, their aunt by marriage, Sarah, Duchess of York, also takes a keen interest in the game. Raised by an active polo player, Major Ronald Ferguson, she grew up in an era where women were still not commonly known to play, and instead spent her time actively helping on the sidelines, riding horses in other disciplines, and following the sport and players closely. Today she is seen at the major matches with her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and more recently with the Queen (on a couple of occasions). Despite being an estranged member of the House of Windsor, Sarah occasionally presents awards at big matches in the United States and Spain.  Beatrice herself is fortunate to have been born into an era in which women have begun to make a break into the sport as tournament-level players. The Princess took up the sport in Spain in 2002, at the age of just 14.Since then, Andrew and Sarah's eldest daughter has practiced in Spain and England. Even her decision to attend St George's school in Ascot was reportedly influenced by a desire to be close to the polo grounds. As of yet, however, she hasn't played in any public matches, meaning she is yet to be pictured playing competitively. Despite being a lifelong rider, Beatrice's sister, Eugenie, is yet to take up the sport herself, but her royal cousin, Zara Phillips, is known to play a few chukkas, though very rarely competitively, and mostly in her capacity as an event rider at charity matches. An Olympic-level horsewoman in eventing, Zara is regularly spotted on the sidelines, cheering on her cousins William and Harry.  When all is said and done, perhaps one statement best sums up the growth of this thrilling game throughout history, and the general players' attitude today in equal measure.It is to be found on a stone near an ancient polo field in northern Pakistan, where the sport still remains much as it did before the first millennium AD. The stone reads simply: "Let other people play other things — the king of games is the game of kings." Comment on this article
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