PRINCE Harry has been pictured grinning after scoring two goals in a charity polo match in his first public appearance since Lilibet's birth.
The Duke of Sussex beamed as he raced out onto the field in Colorado – raising more than £2.5m for his charity Sentebale.
But the dad-of-two took to the field without his family cheering him on – with wife Meghan Markle and their kids Archie, two, and Lilibet, who was born just two months ago in June, not seen on the sidelines.
Instead, Harry – who penned a memoir in lockdown that is expected to send shockwaves through the Royal Family – was supported by pals including Argentine polo player and Sentebale ambassador Nacho Figueras for the game.
Figueras shared a pic of them both grinning on Instagram.
He said of Prince Harry: "How lucky I am to be able to ride along with you in your mission of making the world a better please for people not as fortunate as us.
"It is your commitment and passion to give back that is my inspiration.
"It was so great spending a couple of days with you my friend."
Prince Harry's team thumped to victory, with the duke scoring two of its three goals.
The Duke of Sussex competed in the Sentebale polo match in Colorado on Friday after donating £1.1million from the proceeds of his upcoming memoirs to the charity he co-founded.
And today's polo cup raised $3.5 million (£2.5million) for the charity.
It is the first time Harry has ventured out for a public appearance since Lilibet's birth on June 4, as the 36-year-old has been on paternity leave up until now.
However, the prince has remained busy – starring in his wife's 40th birthday video and revealing news of his upcoming memoir.
Harry set up Sentebale in memory of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in Lesotho in 2006 to help vulnerable children in southern Africa affected by extreme poverty, inequality, and the HIV/Aids epidemic.
The Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup was postponed last year because of the pandemic.
Harry said he was "thrilled" to be supporting Sentebale in person and his donation was one of several he planned to make to charitable organisations.
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The duke added: "The Sentebale Polo Cup is critical to securing the funds needed to advance this important mission, and I'm thrilled to be able to support Sentebale, both in person and financially through a separate charitable donation to meet this immediate need.
"This is one of several donations I plan to make to charitable organisations and I'm grateful to be able to give back in this way for the children and communities who gravely need it."
Harry played on the Sentebale Team against the Royal Salute and US Polo Assn teams in a round-robin tournament.
Sentebale said the match was its single largest fundraising opportunity and its postponement last year left the charity in need of further support, with Harry stepping in to help.
"Because last year's Polo Cup was postponed and this year's was significantly and rightfully reduced in size and scope, the organisation is in need of further support to continue its mission," it said.
"To help meet this need, the duke is donating his time as well as honouring his personal commitment to donate a portion of his proceeds from his upcoming memoir by generously committing 1.5 million dollars to Sentebale.
"Sentebale is grateful for his personal contribution, which will allow the organisation to continue operating at full scale and continue providing critical services to at-risk youth in southern Africa."
'NEW ERA OF VISIBILITY'
It comes just a day after Omid Scobie, the preferred reporter of the Sussexes – and who co-authored their biography Finding Freedom – said the couple are about to enter a new era of visibility.
He revealed that the "thriving" pair are "really excited" about the busy schedule ahead following the end of their parental leave.
"They're a couple who do very well in those moments of human interaction. They need to be on the ground," Scobie told PEOPLE.
"They say that the proof is in the pudding, and what we are about to see is that pudding."
Meanwhile, a royal author accused Harry and Meghan of being "desperate to be on the front pages at every opportunity".
Robert Jobson, who was friends with Princess Diana and has penned books on Philip and Charles, hit out at the "woke" couple after they released a wordy statement on Afghanistan.
The pair told fans they were "speechless" over the horror – but went on to detail their thoughts in a 218-word document.
In an interview with GB News, Mr Jobson called the Sussexes' reaction "nonsense".
"My feeling on this is that this is the couple that wanted their privacy, they craved their privacy," he said.
"They are desperate to be on the front pages at every opportunity.
"How they can say they are experiencing how the world is on the edge from their £15million mansion in the heart of California, I really don't know."
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