Horse Play
Prince Harry and Nacho Figueras Draw a Polished Crowd to Governors Island for a Day of Polo
It was a tale of two tumbles yesterday in the English sporting world, with the national team losing 4-1 to Germany at the World Cup, and—making a louder thud, in certain circles, at least—Prince Harry very publicly falling off his polo horse on Governors Island.
Harry's spill (which resulted in no injuries) was all in a day's work raising funds for the disadvantaged children of Lesotho—which, as the prince explained during his pre-game speech in the luncheon tent, was the worthy cause behind all the Champagne and white linens. "Please dive into your picnics," he urged in closing. The Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic is a social event as much as anything, after all, where the true spectator sport takes place on the sidelines.
Once again this year, the summer heat forced the dress-up set to make an extra effort to stay chic. Val Kilmer's game plan involved a seersucker suit, while André Balazs (who'd done the women of New York a favor the night before by trotting out both polo teams at the Standard Hotel) went with all whites. Rachel Roy made use of a hand fan, and Marchesa designer Keren Craig took cover under Annabel Tollman's antique pink parasol. Lorenzo Martone, meanwhile, was evidently suffering in a knit navy jacket. "I chose it for the color, not the weather," he confessed.
In the end, Nacho Figueras' team defeated Harry's in the extra chukker. But anyone will tell you that what really unseated Harry was a horse, of course.
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