In his father King Charles’ footsteps, Prince William has taken after his passion for the sport of Polo. The irresistible pull of the sport managed to draw him in at a young age, considering he has been to numerous polo matches, watching his father play with mystifying energy onfield. Prince William’s father, as he himself has often mentioned, has been pivotal to his polo career. The British royal family has long considered itself a staple in polo. In the piece, we trace Prince William’s journey through the world of polo.
On Prince William’s life
Prince William was born on 21 June 1982 as the first child of the Prince of Wales (presently King Charles III) and his first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales. Both William and his younger brother, Prince Harry were primarily raised at Kensington Palace in London, and Highgrove House in Gloucestershire. The prince was educated in a number of independent schools across England, eventually enrolling at Eton college to finish his last years of school. As a young man, Prince William’s mother, Princess gave them broader life experiences than those usually available to royal children. She took them to Walt Disney World and McDonald’s, among others whom both he and his brother credit for their humility. Prince William’s family faced a rough patch, during his parents’ humiliating public separation and divorce.
By 2001, had enrolled at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where he majored in Geography. William then trained at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst prior to serving with the British Army. In April 2008, William graduated from Royal Air Force College Cranwell, joining RAF Search and Rescue Force in early 2009. He served as a full-time pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance for two years, starting in July 2015.
Prince William wed his longtime girlfriend Catherine Middleton (popularly known as Kate Middleton) in 2011. He met his now wife, Catherine while they were students at the University of St Andrews. The duo, commonly known as Prince William-Kate Middleton have since been essential members of the royal family. The couple has three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Following his father’s accession to the throne, he was made Prince of Wales, a title reserved for the heir apparent of the monarch, Prince William’s age at that point was 40.
At the front of royal engagements, he holds patronage with over thirty charitable organisations. He is generally known to undertake projects through The Royal Foundation, with his work underpinning a number of different areas. Like his father, his passion for environmental conservation has driven him to establish related projects. In December 2014, he founded the ‘United for Wildlife’ initiative, which aims to reduce the worldwide illegal wildlife trade. In October 2020, William announced the launch of the Earthshot Prize, a £50 million initiative to incentivise environmental solutions over the next decade.
Prince William’s legacy in Polo
The Royal Family is known for its patronage of many different sporting activities, but if there’s one sport in which they’ve actively participated, it would be none other than polo. Interestingly, the royals have been passionate polo players and polo watchers since the time of King George VI. Since then at least one senior member of the royal family has competitively played polo. Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry have all tried their hand at the sport. Their prowess at it has been remarkable with them having swept up several trophies over the years.
Prince William himself has tried his hand at a number of sporting activities, like Tennis and Cricket among others. But it was polo that caught his fascination. Despite his tight royal engagements schedule, he still makes it a point to keep up with the sport, so as not to lose touch with it, and Catherine always accompanies him to cheer him on. Prince William’s young children too sometimes tag along. It has been speculated that Prince William’s sons and daughter share his love of horses.
Prince William often plays polo to raise money for charitable causes. On one of his last polo outings, which he was participating in after a long time, at the Royal Charity Polo Cup 2021 held at Guards Polo Club in Windsor, England, the then Prince William, styled Duke Of Cambridge participated in order to draw attention to charities that both he and his wife, the then Duchess Of Cambridge Kate Middleton, have regularly supported. Some of those include East Anglia Children’s Hospices, and London Air Ambulance, among others. He also often contributes from his own wealth, considering Prince William’s net worth of $100 million.
