Prince Harry takes a tumble

Britain's Prince Harry took a tumble from his horse before his defeat in a New York polo match against the world's best known polo player, Argentina's Nacho Figueras.

Jun 28, 2010 13:44 IST

Britain's Prince Harry took a tumble from his horse before his defeat in a New York polo match against the world's best known polo player, Argentina's Nacho Figueras. (Text: AP)

But it was all for a good cause — to benefit 400,000 children of an AIDS-ravaged African nation. (Text: AP)
The 25-year-old son of the late Princess Diana fell off his polo pony in the first half of the 3rd Annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic on Governor's Island. (Text: AP)
But he had a smile on his face as he got up and continued the contest, which Figueras' Black Watch team won 6-5 in overtime. At first, the prince's Black Rock foursome was ahead, with Harry scoring an early 2 points, despite his fall.(Text: AP)

"I think his horse got spooked, or something," Figueras told The Associated Press, adding, "It was a very tight match — right till the end, we didn't know who was going to win so it was very exciting to play." (Text: AP)
But polo was not the main point of the day. The United States "has always protected the downtrodden, the poorest, those most in need of help in the world," Harry said before the match. "And to me, this is what the United States stands for." (Text: AP)
Harry played as part of his pledge to continue his mother's work. Princess Diana, who was often photographed embracing HIV-positive mothers and children, died in 1997 in a Paris car crash. (Text: AP)

Harry said both he and the African prince wanted to follow the examples set by their mothers. (Text: AP)
About 100 children in Lesotho lose one or both of their parents each day, Harry said, adding that the orphaned children survive with no prospects of a regular nourishing diet and little hope of a meaningful education. (Text: AP)
Harry's three-day visit to New York began Friday at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, followed by UNICEF on Saturday and throwing the first pitch at a Mets game.(Text: AP)

The 25-year-old prince nodded and asked questions as he was briefed by staffers at the United Nations agency. (Text: AP)
Among other things, he learned how UNICEF used mapping technology to pinpoint aid sites in Haiti after the earthquake. (Text: AP)
The visit lasted about an hour. (Text: AP)
Britain's Prince Harry speaks with UNICEF Office of Emergency Programme Operations Center watch officer, June Toda, while touring UNICEF offices during his visit to New York on June 26, 2010. (Text: AP)
Prince Harry showed he can shoot. On the second day of his US visit, New Yorkers got to see his arm. (Text: AP)
Wearing a white T-shirt and blue Mets cap, he sheepishly waved to the crowd as he stood on the top of the mound. He then shook his right arm several times and did a full body jiggle to loosen up.(Text: AP)
The 25-year-old prince threw with some zip to Mets catcher Rod Barajas, who stood from his crouch to catch the throw that crossed the plate. (Text: AP)
Mets knuckleballer RA Dickey gave Harry throwing advice about a half-hour before the game. (Text: AP)
Prince Harry was seen in a dark suit for a reception for British and American veterans and their families at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. (Text: AP)
Harry said it was "a bit of a pinch yourself moment" to stand on the flight deck of the Intrepid, a historic aircraft carrier docked on Manhattan's West Side. He said Britain and the U.S. must forge stronger links between their military veterans. (Text: AP)