Prince Harry's polo teammate and long-time friend Nacho Figueras says the royal is a 'wonderful father' - as he blasts critics who attacked Harry for leaving Meghan and newborn Archie to play in a charity match in Rome
- The 42-year-old Argentine polo player as he defended Prince Harry for taking part in the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup charity match in Rome last Friday
- During an interview at the event, Nacho shut down a reporter from an unnamed publication who questioned him about Harry's decision to play at the event
- The professional polo player insisted that Harry is a 'wonderful father' and said he thinks the new dad is 'doing just fine'
- He spoke to CBS This Morning on Wednesday, May 29, as continued to defend the new father for taking part in the event
- Nacho, who is often dubbed the 'David Beckham of Polo', said he believes Harry and wife Meghan Markle are being 'misinterpreted' in various ways
- He said 'how dare' people criticize the new father for taking part in the event which raises money for 'thousands of vulnerable children in Africa'
- Earlier this week, the polo player shared a series of photos of he and Prince Harry to Instagram alongside a heartfelt caption
Nacho Figueras has spoken out in defense of his friend Prince Harry after the royal faced backlash for taking part in a charity polo match 18 days after he and Meghan Markle welcomed their first baby.
The 42-year-old Argentine polo player spoke to CBS This Morning on Wednesday, May 29 as he defended Prince Harry for taking part in the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup charity match in Rome, which took place on Friday, May 24.
Nacho, who shut down a reporter who implied that Harry was being an absent father for attending the overseas event during an interview at the polo match, said he believes Harry and Meghan are 'being misinterpreted in so many different ways'.
Friendship: Nacho Figueras (L) has defended Prince Harry after the royal faced criticism for leaving wife Meghan and newborn son Archie to take part in annual polo match in Rome
Concern: The 42-year-old Argentine polo player, pictured with Harry at the event, said he believes Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex are 'being misinterpreted in so many ways'
Support: Speaking to CBS This Morning on Wednesday, he said 'how dare' someone criticize the new father who 'loves his child' for leaving his house for one day to raise money for charity
The professional polo player defended Harry when a reporter from an unnamed publication questioned him about the royal's decision to play at the match during an interview last Friday.
Slamming any implications that Harry was being an absent parent by choosing to attend the event Nacho said he is a 'wonderful father' who is 'doing just fine'.
Implying that Harry was being an absent parent, Cosmopolitan reported that the male reporter said: 'Not many fathers go abroad within two weeks of the birth, any word on that from the mother?'
Special: Pictured alongside Meghan Markle (L) and the couple's newborn baby Archie Harrison, the new father received criticism for leaving his family for the day 18 days after they welcomed their son
In response, Nacho said: 'That's an assumption that you're making. I am a father of four and sometimes duty calls. This is 24 hours away from the house, I think he's doing just fine.
'He's a wonderful father. I'm very impressed and he's here for an amazing cause. So I think that's a...I don't see that as a problem,' he added.
Speaking on the CBS This Morning, Nacho, who played on Team Sentebale St Regis with Harry, said: 'How dare that guy, you know, tell a father who loves his child and is leaving [his] house for 24 hours to go raise money for thousands of vulnerable children in Africa, how dare he say something like that?
'It bothers me how these guys change the narrative of the thing and if you don't pay attention and you don't respond strongly, then that's the story,' Nacho, who was a guest at the royal couple's wedding last May, added.
'Oh - Prince Harry left his house right after his baby was born, how dare him leave his wife there. That's the story line,' he said, before adding: 'Or, no. How dare you say that this guys is taking 24 hours off his precious time with his newborn baby to come raise money for kids.
'That's the headline,' he added.
'I think this is a problem because otherwise, you know, we're all distracted and we're all with our lives and looking at our phones, and you go through your Instagram or your news thing and you read "oh, this guy left his house, how dare he?"
'And that's what stays in your head, right? You receive the information and it's edited in a way, and you process it that way.
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Defense: Seen on CBS, he said: 'It bothers me how these guys change the narrative of the thing and if you don't pay attention and you don't respond strongly, then that's the story'
Pals: As seen with Harry, Nacho shut down a reporter who implied that Harry was being an absent father for attending the overseas event during an interview at the polo match
Speaking out: Nacho speaking out to defend Harry comes a few days after praised him for being a 'kind, generous, compassionate person' in a tribute to the new father on Instagram
'Sometimes we are smart enough to know it, but kids or people that are not so focused or understand the real situation will just take it in like that, so I think it's crazy,' he said.
Nacho added that he is 'very' guarded of Meghan and Harry, who he regards as his friends, before revealing that he thinks they are being 'misinterpreted'.
He said: 'I think they are being misinterpreted in so many different ways, and it bothers me a lot.
He explained: 'The headlines and the narrative is about, you know, them not getting along with so and so or not doing this, or not doing that. Or is the baby sleeping, not sleeping.
'How about this guy, both of them, wake up every morning and all they think about is help children.
'Even this week he was there and we were at the hotel where we spend the night before the game and he talked to a person and said this morning I got my coffee and I saw that you have a plastic thing on the coffee.
'And then also I sent my shirt and I got my shirt in a big plastic bag. Can we please not use this?' he added, explaining that Harry had expressed concern for the amount of unnecessary plastic being used in the hotel.
'That's this guy,' he added, 'And, like you said, I don't like to talk about that at all, but that's who he is. That is who they are.'
Eager to stick up for his friend and defend him, Nacho also shared a tribute to the royal on Instagram over the weekend.
Sharing several photos of himself and the 34-year-old father-of-one, Nacho praised Harry for being a 'kind, generous, compassionate person.'
Good cause: Pictured with Nacho at the event in 2017, Harry's annual sporting fixture raises funds for his charity Sentebale - which helps vulnerable children and young people in Africa
His caption read: 'The world thinks they know everything about this man.
'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, wether [sic] 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,' Nacho added.
The annual sporting fixture has become an important annual event for raising funds and awareness for Harry's charity Sentebale, which was founded by the duke and Lesotho's Prince Seeiso in 2006.
The organization works with children and teenagers in Lesotho and Botswana who are coming to terms with being HIV positive, having Aids or have lost their parents to the disease.
In 2017 the charity match took place in Singapore - where they paid tribute to the victims of the London terrorist attack that year.
Before the match began, the players and spectators observed a minute's silence in memory of the seven killed and dozens injured when pedestrians were mowed down by a van on London Bridge.
- CBS This Morning on Twitter: "“I think they are being misinterpreted in so many different ways." -- @nachofigueras on the royal couple and the criticisms surrounding Prince Harry after he joined Figueras for a charity match in Rome, 1 ...
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- Sentebale
