Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup | Keep Calm and Harry On

We just want you back – for good…

After a whirlwind week in the United States, Prince Harry is back across the pond and already hard at work – he made an impromptu visit to the Chelsea Flower Show today to visit the Sentebale garden. I think I speak for most of us on this side of the Atlantic when I say: we miss you, did you really have to go?

Leading up to the prince’s week-long tour of the East Coast and Colorado, all talk seemed to center around comparing his upcoming tour to the last time he hit American soil – the infamous Vegas vacation. The only similarity between that trip and this one? Everyone cannot stop talking about Prince Harry – but now for a very different reason.

Over the course of seven days we saw many sides to the young royal – solider, prince, philanthropist and athlete; everywhere he went, every “hat” he put on, he left the press and the public in awe. Trying to choose a favorite side of Harry or a favorite moment is proving impossible – trust me, I’ve been asked that very questions countless times since the tour’s end.

The one thing that comes to mind each time I try to pinpoint a favorite takeaway is the feeling that Prince Harry left a great, positive impression on America.. and it appears he feels the same. During both his Jersey Shore visit and a speech during the Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup (which raised more than $1 million, by the way), HRH praised America and its people as “fantastic” and thanked everyone for their “extraordinary generosity.”

I can only hope that from here on out, this is the United States visit that people remember when they think about Prince Harry – the kind, generous, warmhearted young royal who will get down in the dirt and play baseball with underprivileged children, partake in a sitting volleyball match despite having full use of his legs and greet devastated residents of a small beach town he has no connection to.

Thanks for coming, Harry! You’re always welcome..

Today marked the final day of Prince Harry’s United States tour (pass the tissues), and in my opinion, he saved the best for last. The prince headed to the elite Connecticut suburb of Greenwich to play in the Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup benefiting his charity, Sentebale, which aids children in Lesotho whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS. Translated, “Sentebale” means “forget me not;” how fitting for the the prince’s final send-off.

The polo prince played for the Sentebale team, while Nacho Figueras, the world’s top player and Ralph Lauren model, captained the St. Regis team. In the end, Team Sentebale came out on top with a final score of 4-3. Although it was not called properly at first, Harry did indeed score a goal and played very well throughout the match, despite having told Good Morning America’s Lara Spencer last night that he was quite nervous as he had not been on a horse in a year. We never would have known!

Approximately 400 fortunate guests including supermodel Karolina Kurkova and Olivia Palermo were on hand for the event, which also included a a lunch where Prince Harry made a brief speech thanking the American people for a wonderful week. When discussing Lesotho, HRH remarked that, “It just takes a single visit and you’re in love with Lesotho and its children,” and that “We are trying to remove the stigma of HIV/Aids amongst a generation.”