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Over dinner (above), Harry chats to Geri Halliwell and her fiancé, Formula 1 boss Christian Horner,<br />
in Abu Dhabi for the weekend’s Grand Prix, which Harry (speaking, right, about the charity he<br />
helped found) also hoped to catch. While Christian declined to reveal whether he and Geri had set<br />
a date for their wedding, the happy couple (together, below right) looked closer than ever<br />
before taking to the field. “As Harry says, if you can<br />
change the opportunity for a generation, then you<br />
can change a nation.<br />
“What I love about playing with or against Harry<br />
is that he has so much charisma,” he added. “He<br />
loves polo and is very competitive. He knows how<br />
important it is for a great event to raise money and<br />
help more kids and so every part of it really comes<br />
from his heart.”<br />
It was a point not lost on Harry himself: “Playing<br />
polo in the middle of the desert, this is fantastic,<br />
and it has been an emotional rollercoaster but<br />
we’ve come out on top. All I ever want to do is raise<br />
enough money so we can make a difference.”<br />
Proving Nacho’s point about Harry’s competitive<br />
spirit, the Prince’s team registered a stirring 5-4<br />
victory. “It was the most ferocious Sentebale match<br />
we’ve ever played,” Malcolm later told us of the<br />
clash, which saw guests diving for cover when one<br />
of the more powerful shots headed straight into<br />
the VIP enclosure. “Harry was amazing. It was the<br />
best I’ve seen him play.”<br />
Harry and his team jubilantly accepted their<br />
trophies from British actress Sienna Guillory, one<br />
of the ambassadors for prestigious Scotch whisky<br />
brand Royal Salute. “I was worried that I might be<br />
really nervous, but having met everybody, they<br />
were all so charming and welcoming,” she said. “I<br />
loved watching them play – especially the amazing<br />
princess, Sheikha Maitha.”<br />
HEROES’ WELCOME<br />
After the match, guests headed to a dinner hosted<br />
by the royal Sentebale founders. Princes Harry<br />
and Seeiso received a standing ovation from guests<br />
as they took to the stage to share their plans to<br />
build a permanent base for their children’s<br />
programmes on land donated to the charity by<br />
Seeiso’s brother, King Letsie III.<br />
Prince Seeiso earned applause from the room<br />
as he shared his ultimate hope for the charity –<br />
that in 20 years it would no longer be needed. In a<br />
touching tribute, he then introduced his “dear<br />
friend and brother” Prince Harry.<br />
Clearly moved, Harry said: “The money raised<br />
this evening will go towards teaching many more<br />
HIV-positive young people how to live with the<br />
virus.” He thanked supporters of the evening –<br />
unable to resist a dig at his friend and opponent:<br />
“Nacho Figueras, whom I beat earlier.”<br />
Former Spice Girl Geri, who sat at Harry’s table<br />
over dinner, was impressed, saying later: “I met<br />
Prince Harry when he was about ten. I’ve seen him<br />
grow up and it’s brilliant what he’s done with his<br />
life – it’s all for a great cause. He’s shown people he<br />
cares and he’s got a great heart and spirit.”<br />
At the end of his Arabian nights, the Prince was<br />
due to take time out from sword fighting and polo<br />
playing and spend the weekend watching the<br />
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.<br />
H<br />
REPORT: MICHELLE JOHNSON<br />
ADDITIONAL REPORTING: SALLY MORGAN. PHOTOS: EDDIE MULHOLLAND. GETTY IMAGES. PA PHOTOS. REX FEATURES<br />
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