Prince Harry‘s longtime friend polo player Nacho Figueras posted a tribute to his royal pal, calling the new dad “inspiring.”
“The world thinks they know everything about this man,” the Argentine sports star, 42, captioned three photos with Harry on Instagram on Saturday, May 25. “I have been fortunate enough to spend enough time over the years to learn and understand the man he really is, a kind, generous, compassionate person who is constantly thinking about how to make the world a better place, whether that is helping kids in Africa, talking openly about mental health, encouraging children or talking about climate change and the things that we all human beings need to change for the next generations. I see him do that over and over again and it is truly inspiring.”
“I am honored to be your friend and let’s keep fighting because if we all fight together love always wins,” he concluded.
The pair teamed up on Friday, May 24, to play in a charity polo match in Rome to raise funds for Harry’s Sentebale charity, which supports children and young people affected by HIV in the African countries of Lesotho and Botswana.
The Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup marked the first night Harry, 34, has spent away from wife Duchess Meghan and their almost 3-week-old son, Archie, who was born on May 6.
Figueras also defended his friend’s decision to leave his family so soon after Archie’s birth.
“I am a father of four and sometimes duty calls,” he told reporters at the polo match, according to Hello Magazine. “This is 24 hours away from the house, I think he’s doing just fine. He’s a wonderful father and very present and he’s here for an amazing cause so I don’t see that as a problem.”
The athlete, who attended Harry and Meghan’s wedding at Windsor Castle in England in May 2018, was also asked how the new father was coping with parenthood.
“He’s doing great. Sleeping, you should ask him, but I think he’s doing great,” Figueras said.
“Being a father always changes you. He seems to be very, very happy, I think this is a very exciting part of his life,” he added. “He was ready for it and I think he’s loving it. I always thought that he would be an amazing father because he has a great affinity for children — two weeks is very, very soon but I’m sure he’s changed.”
