Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras tells PEOPLE that Prince Harry “always wanted” to be a husband and father.
Off the field, Prince Harry’s polo teammate says he’s found a “amazing” partner in wife Meghan Markle.
Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras, a longtime friend of Prince Harry’s who competed alongside him on Thursday at the Sentebale Polo Cup in Colorado, tells PEOPLE that Prince Harry is enjoying life as a husband and father of son Archie Harrison, 3, and daughter Lilibet Diana, 1.
“[My wife] Delfi and I have known Harry for quite some time,” says Figueras. “I saw firsthand how badly he wanted to start a family. Meghan was an excellent teammate or partner for him. They adore each other, and their children are adorable.”
This season, Figueras, 45, competed alongside Prince Harry, 37, on the Los Padres team at the Santa Barbara Polo Club.
“Being able to be with them for the last two months only made me happier — seeing them be a lovely family with their kids and dogs, which is really what he always wanted,” he adds. “I’m overjoyed for them.”
In 2007, Figueras met Prince Harry at a charity match benefiting Sentebale, an organisation Harry co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 to help children in Africa affected by poverty, inequality, HIV/AIDS, and, most recently, COVID-19.
“I saw how committed he was to his charity from day one,” the Argentine polo player says. “Fast forward 15 years, and I’ve been to Lesotho a few times with him, and I’ve seen what great work the charity does and how important it is for a lot of kids, how committed he is, and how much he truly cares about it.”
Although they’ve competed in events together for years, being a part of Los Padres this year brought the two even closer together.
“Playing with him for two months in a real competition with the Los Padres team was a dream come true for me, and maybe for him as well — we should ask him,” Figueras says. “We got to spend a lot of time together on the field and with our families off the field. We bonded more than we ever had before because we were able to spend so much time with him.”
It also helps that Prince Harry is an accomplished polo player.
“He’s very competitive,” Figueras says. “He rides and plays very well — it’s an honour to be his teammate.”
Figueras paid tribute to Sentebale on Instagram ahead of Thursday’s match, posting a photo of him and Harry riding side by side.
“I enjoy playing with you, and even more so when we are raising funds for such a worthy cause. Thank you to everyone who came out today to support this event at the @aspenvalleypoloclub “He captioned the image.
Following the game, Figueras shared a photo with Prince Harry, who was also riding a horse.
“What a blessing it is to be able to do what you love, with the people you love, and help others,” he wrote. “We are proud of the assistance we can provide to young people in Lesotho and Botswana in order for them to feel empowered, healthy, resilient, and capable of thriving.”
Although Meghan, 41, was not on the field, she was on the minds of her polo family. Before the match, Figueras’ wife Delfina Blaquier posted a photo on Instagram from a previous match and wrote, “M will miss you today.”
