Meghan Markle Supports Prince Harry at California Polo Match

It was a weekend of polo for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Harry joined his friend, Nacho Figueras, on a team called Los Padres, which means the fathers, or parents, in Spanish, where they took home second place in the Folded Hills Pope Challenge.

Meghan was on hand at the Santa Barbara Polo Club on two separate occasions — not far from their home in Montecito — to cheer on her husband.

The first saw Meghan in blue shorts and a long-sleeve blue, button-down blouse, while the second saw the mother of two in a similar number, this time, all-white. The 40-year-old duchess accessorized both outfits with sandals and a pair of sunglasses. Meghan was all smiles as she and her husband made their way around the polo club.

While Meghan was there to lend her support, the couple’s two children, Archie, 3 and Lilibet, 11 months, appeared to stay at home.

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This isn’t the first weekend Harry’s been competing with Los Padres. In the last few weeks, Figueras has shared several snaps from their time on the polo field, writing, “Thrilled to be riding alongside my friend, Prince Harry, and the rest of the Los Padres team at the @santabarbarapoloclub ‘s Harry East Memorial Tournament.”

He continued, “We’ve ridden together many times over the years and now that we’re both parents, it’s extra special to be able to spend this time together. The name Los Padres was inspired by the proximity of the field to the Los Padres National Forest and also by our connection as fathers.”

Archie and Lilibet’s absence at their parents’ latest outing comes as Harry spoke out about social media and the potential of online harm.

Harry joined 5Rights Foundation as they launched the Global Child Online Safety Toolkit webinar on Monday, where he spoke about the impact the digital world and social media has on children.

“As parents, my wife and I are concerned about the next generation growing up in a world where they are treated as digital experiments for companies to make money and where things like hatred and harm are somehow normalized,” the 37-year-old Duke of Sussex said. “We want our children and all children to feel empowered to speak up.”

Adding, “My two little ones are still at their age of innocence. Sometimes I feel like I can keep them away from the online harm that they could face in the future forever, but I’m learning to know better.”

Harry went on to state that social media isn’t working and called for it to be “fixed,” before sharing his hope that his children will not have to experience the online world “as it exists now.”

“I’m not an expert on law or technology, but I am a father — and I’m lucky enough to be a father with a platform,” Harry said. “My kids are too young to have experienced the online world yet, and I hope they never have to experience it as it exists now. No kid should have to.”

While Archie and Lilibet stayed behind for this weekend’s polo match, they will be joining their parents in England this summer for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June — marking the first time their daughter will meet the monarch since being born in Santa Barbara, California, last June.

According to a source close to the royal family, the queen is delighted she will be meeting her great-granddaughter for the first time and excited to be able to spend time with Archie and Lili. ET understands Harry’s relatives are also looking forward to meeting the couple’s infant daughter and seeing Archie.

While ET has learned that it was the sovereign herself who invited Harry and Meghan to attend her celebrations, they will not be permitted to partake in the royal family’s traditional balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace during the annual Trooping the Colour event. Though the couple joined family members on the balcony twice before in 2018 and 2019, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirmed on Friday that they do not qualify to appear this year.

Meghan and Harry’s trip to England will serve as their latest visit after quietly stopping there to meet with the queen, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall in April before heading to the Netherlands for the 2022 Invictus Games.

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