Long gone are the days when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were happy to spill the tea on the Royal Family all over town. After the triple hit that was their Oprah Winfrey interview, their 2022 docuseries, and Spare, the couple have moved away from directly dishing out dirt on the Royals — especially this year, in the wake of King Charles and Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnoses. But that doesn’t mean they can resist the occasional underhanded dig.
Take Harry’s new Netflix show, for example. Anyone hoping for a repeat of the Sussexes’ scandalous docuseries that kicked off their partnership with the streamer will be disappointed, as POLO does just what it promises and delivers five episodes all about the high-society horse-riding sport. Harry and Meghan do feature, but only in brief cameos here and there — the duchess doesn’t show up until episode 5 while Harry only appears for a full five seconds in the opener.
“You’re proud but also angry”: Prince Harry opens up about what’s it’s like when fathers and sons compete
POLO focuses on a range of the sport’s top players as they gear up to compete in the U.S. Open Polo Championship, situated in Wellington, Florida. Among the competitors is veteran player Adolfo Cambiaso and his rising star of a son, the 18-year-old Poroto Cambiaso. In the documentary, Harry speaks with Cambiaso Snr. about the complexities of competing against his own son — which leads the prince to make some loaded comments about his rivalry with his own father.
“You’ve created something special. He’s doing amazing things,” Harry gushed about the Cambiaso polo dynasty. “We play together a lot, you know,” Adolfo responded. “You can play with your kid, something that you love.”
Harry then decided to probe a little deeper by asking, “Yeah, but what’s it like playing against your kid?” Adolfo admitted, “It’s difficult. And worse when you lose.” Harry seemed to understand something about this as he replied, “You’re proud, but also angry.”
Harry inherited his love of polo from his own dad, and he has both played on teams alongside the now king and against him, so he must relate to the complicated feelings the Cambiasos have when playing on opposing sides. Of course, Harry and His Majesty’s sporting competitiveness has matured into a very different, much more bitter, rivalry in recent years.
It’s easy to perceive a hidden deeper meaning in Harry’s exchange with Cambiaso as you could say the duke has been playing against his father ever since he split from the Royals and nowadays they are in constant competition. Is Harry “proud” of himself for his independence, but also “angry” that his dad doesn’t stand alongside him at the same time?
It’s also worth noting that Prince William, another talented amateur polo player, gets no reference in POLO, which some are viewing as a deliberate snub. But, hey, King Charles and William should probably be grateful for being on the receiving end of these thinly veiled digs instead of being overtly offended like in Harry’s previous Netflix productions.