William’s charity fundraising polo matches raise more than £14m

The Prince of Wales has taken the total amassed by his fundraising polo matches to more than £14 million with his latest appearance on the field.

William joined some of England’s best professional players and keen amateurs at the Guards Polo Club near Windsor in aid of good causes supported by himself and Kate.

The prince’s cousin Peter Phillips and his girlfriend Harriet Sperling were among the guests who watched three teams compete in the round-robin Royal Charity Polo Cup after a champagne reception followed by a charity silent auction and lunch.

The future king has played 14 times in the cup and match commentator and former polo player Karl Ude-Martinez joked about his prowess with the mallet, saying: “He doesn’t play regularly, he’s going have to stretch after this one”.

William played as a number four, a defensive role, but managed to score a goal “it trickled in, it wasn’t pretty but we’ll claim that one”, said Martinez and it helped the prince’s team clinch the cup.

The event raised £1.1 million for 10 charities supported by William and Kate from Child Bereavement UK to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, NHS Charities Together and the social justice charity Forward Trust, with the matches raising more than £14 million over the years.

Former England and Arsenal football captain Tony Adams is chairman of trustees at the Forward Trust, supported by Kate, its royal patron, which helps people recover from addictions and mental health problems.

He said: “Most charities are coming up against huge problems with fundraising…there’s other charities out there, children’s charities and cancer charities but addiction is way down the line.

“I mean, if you’ve got mental health and addiction issues, it’s incredibly difficult to get the funding, this is why we need these events.

“The princess has been very supportive and taken away the stigma of this illness and putting it out there, it’s not a weakness, it’s a strength to come forward.”