Nacho Figueras weighed in on the chances of his close friend Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s kids following in their father’s footsteps.
The Argentinian polo player and model, 47, said he could see Archie, 4, and Lili, 2, developing a love for polo when they get older.
“I really hope so, I hope that Archie and Lili get to love horses as much as he does,” the polo champion told Hello! at the Sentebale Polo Cup on Thursday, April 11, which was attended by Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, as well.
Figueras, who shares four kids with wife Delfina Blaquier, noted that Harry’s passion would likely be reflected in his kids. (Figueras has been friends with Harry since 2007 and is expected to appear in the Duke of Sussex’s upcoming Netflix show about professional polo, which was primarily filmed at the U.S. Open Polo Championship.)
“There’s something about the outside of a horse that’s great for the inside of a human. Hopefully that love and passion will be transmitted,” Figueras continued. “I know my kids love it and they love to play. It would be a dream that one day we all get to play polo together.”
Harry and Meghan first became parents in 2019, one year after they tied the knot. At the time, Harry gushed about how fatherhood changed his life.
“I’m struck by a few things today, most of which is the power of the invisible role model. The person who may be sitting here today that doesn’t realize that someone looks up to them that — for that person — you inspire them to be kinder, better, greater, more successful, more impactful,” he said during a speech at the National Youth Mentoring Summit in July 2019. “Perhaps it’s the newfound clarity I have as a father knowing that my son will always be watching what I do, mimicking my behavior, one day maybe even following in my footsteps.”
After their son’s arrival, amidst ongoing tensions with other members of the royal family, Meghan and Harry announced in 2020 that they were planning to step back as senior members of the royal family. By the time they made their decision permanent one year later, the pair had already moved to California from the U.K.
The Duchess of Sussex revealed in November 2020 that she had suffered a pregnancy loss. Harry and Meghan later announced that she was expecting another child and their daughter was born in 2021.
Meghan has since discussed tackling life as a mother of two. “I’m sure it’ll only get more chaotic as they get older,” she shared on her “Archetypes” podcast in November 2022. “But for me, it’s, you know, both monitors on for the kids to hear them, always up with Lili, get her downstairs, then a half hour later, Archie’s up. I start doing his lunchbox right before he’s up while I have her, getting her a little nibble. My husband’s helping me get him downstairs.”
Meghan called her daily life “a whirlwind,” adding, “I first just had Archie, now I’m a mom of a daughter. And whether I thought it was going to happen or not, it did. I see the world differently through how she is going to see the world and how she is going to look at certain women as role models.”
Earlier this year, Harry also opened up about how “grateful” he is to get to see Archie and Lili grow up.
“They both have got an incredible sense of humor and make us laugh and keep us grounded every single day, like most kids do,” he shared during an interview with Good Morning America in February about how his kids were “growing up very, very fast.”
