The Valiente Polo Farm in Wellington, Florida will be hosting the 2016 Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup on Wednesday, May 4th in a fundraising effort in support of Sentebale, a charity founded by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 to help the most vulnerable children in Lesotho get the support they need to lead healthy and productive lives. Sentebale works with local grassroots organizations to help these children – the victims of extreme poverty and Lesotho’s HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Sentebale was co-founded by HRH Prince Henry of Wales and HRH Prince Seeiso Bereng Seeiso of Lesotho in honor of their mothers, Diana, Princess of Wales and Queen ‘Mamohato Bereng Seeiso, respectively.
The creation of the Sentebale Polo Cup followed Prince Harry’s appearance with host Nacho Figueras in the 2009 Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic that raised funds in support of the young charity through American Friends of Sentebale.
In January of the following year the Sentebale Polo Cup was created, debuting in Barbados, with Prince Harry on the field for the Sentebale team and Prince Seeiso cheering from the sidelines.
Prince Harry returned to the 2010 Veuve Clicquot Classic to battle Nacho Figueras once again with funds raised going to the American Friends of Sentebale. Following the 2010 Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic, the Sentebale Polo Cup took on a character of its own,
In 2011Coworth Park in Berkshire, England hosted the event and Royal Salute came aboard as a title sponsor, bringing with them their brand ambassador, English 6-goaler Malcolm Borwick. A growing number of people were made aware of the efforts that were being made to assist the children of Lesotho and the generosity of those in attendance continued to help support the Sentebale efforts.
The Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup continued to grow in popularity and with it the support of the charity’s efforts and needs. An event in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2012 was followed by a Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup at the Greenwich Polo Club in Greenwich, Connecticut in 2013. The annual fundraising event then travelled to Ghantoot Racing and Polo Cup in Abu Dhabi, UAE in 2014, before the cup made its way to the Val de Vie Estate in Cape Town, South Africa in 2015.
The Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup 2016 will take place at Valiente Polo Farm by invitation only. There will be three teams taking part in a round robin tournament. Prince Harry will lead the Sentebale ISPS Handa team, playing against Argentine polo player and Sentebale Ambassador, Nachos Figueras and Royal Salute’s World Polo Ambassador Malcolm Borwick. Royal Salute will host distinguished guests and raise an official toast to Prince Harry and players while enjoying exhibition polo at its finest.
The Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup 2016 is supported by ISPS Handa, Valiente Polo Farm, American Airlines, USPA and Merchant Hub. For further information about Sentebale and how you might help support their efforts, US Taxpayers can make tax-deductible donations to American Friends of Sentebale, a registered 501(c)(3) charity via the following link: https://www.paypal.me/SentebaleAFOS