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The Prince of Wales announces his retirement from polo
17th November 2005
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will not be playing polo next season, Clarence House announced today.
The Prince, who made the decision recently, has decided to retire from the game after playing it for over forty years. During that time, His Royal Highness played competitively with a number of teams in countries throughout the world.
From 1992 onwards, the Prince decided to play only in charity matches and has raised an estimated £12 million. Last season alone, The Prince raised an estimated £900,000 for charity while playing polo.
Princes William and Harry will continue to play polo, as much as their military careers will allow.
Background
The Prince of Wales became interested in polo as a child, while watching his father, The Duke of Edinburgh, play at Windsor.
The Prince played his first game aged 15 in 1963 in a team captained by his father. He played his first season of first class games four years later and played competitively until 1992, after which time he played only for charity.
Although The Prince has played polo throughout the world – from Australia to Brazil – he has mostly played at three grounds in the United Kingdom: Windsor Great Park, Cowdray Park in Sussex and Cirencester Park in Gloucestershire.
As well as playing for the Highgrove team with his two sons, William and Harry, The Prince has also played for Cambridge University, The Royal Navy and, in high goal tournaments, with Les Diables Bleus and the Maple Leafs teams.
His Royal Highness played in all four positions, but most often at No 4 (back).