Prince Harry's Polo Pal Says He 'Found an Amazing Teammate' in Meghan Markle: They Have a 'Lovely Family'
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Prince Harry's teammate on the polo pitch says he's found an "amazing" partner off the field in wife Meghan Markle.
Ignacio "Nacho" Figueras, Harry's longtime friend who competed alongside the Duke of Sussex on Thursday at the Sentebale Polo Cup in Colorado tells PEOPLE that Prince Harry is enjoying life as a husband and father of son Archie Harrison, 3, and daughter Lilibet Diana, 1.
"[My wife] Delfi and I have known Harry for a very long time," Figueras says. "I know firsthand how much he wanted to have a family. He found an amazing teammate, or partner, in Meghan. They love each other very much; their children are lovely."
Figueras, 45, also competed alongside Prince Harry, 37, this season on the Los Padres team at the Santa Barbara Polo Club.
Chris Jackson/Getty
"Being able to be with them for the last two months only made me happier — seeing them be a lovely family with their kids and their dogs, and that's really what he always wanted," he adds. "I'm very happy for them."
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Samir Hussein/WireImage Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attending the Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen's Jubilee on June 3.
Figueras met Prince Harry at a charity match benefiting Sentebale — the organization Harry founded in 2006 with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help children in Africa affected by poverty, inequality, HIV/AIDS and recently COVID-19 — in 2007.
"From day one, I saw how committed he was to his charity," the Argentine polo player says. "Fast forward 15 years, I've been to Lesotho with him a few times, and I've seen what great work the charity does and how important it is for a lot of kids, how committed he is, how much he really cares about it."
Chris Jackson/Getty Nacho Figueras and Prince Harry
Although they've competed at events together for years, being part of Los Padres together this year brought the duo even closer.
"Being able to play with him for two months in a real competition with the Los Padres team was a dream come true for me, and maybe for him too — we'd should ask him," Figueras says. "We got to spend a lot of time together on the field, off the field with our families. We really bonded more than we've ever bonded before, being able to be with him so much."
It doesn't hurt that Prince Harry is a talented polo player.
"He's very competitive," says Figueras. "He plays very well, he rides very well — it's an honor to be his teammate."
Ahead of Thursday's match, Figueras shared an Instagram tribute celebrating Sentebale, posting a photo of he and Harry riding side-by-side.
"I love playing with you and even more so if we are raising money form this great cause. Thank you to everyone supporting this event today at the @aspenvalleypoloclub," he captioned the photo.
Following the game, Figueras shared a photo with Prince Harry also on horseback.
"What a blessing to be able to do what you love, with the people you love while helping others," he wrote. "Proud of the support we are able to give the young people of Lesotho and Botswana to feel empowered, healthy, resilient, and able to thrive."
And although Meghan, 41, wasn't on the sidelines, she was in her polo family's minds. Before the match, Figueras' wife Delfina Blaquier posted a photo on Instagram from a previous match and wrote, "M will miss you today."