Harry’s longtime friend and fellow polo player previously told PEOPLE that he’s glad to see Harry thriving as a dad
Nacho Figueras/Instagram
Nacho Figueras and Prince Harry in a photo Figueras posted to Instagram on Sept. 15, 2024.
Nacho Figueras is shouting out Prince Harry‘s 40th birthday in a sweet way on social media.
The Duke of Sussex turned 40 on Sept. 15, and Figueras marked the milestone with a heartfelt tribute on Instagram the same day.
“Happy 40th brother. From the polo fields to all the moments in between, I’m grateful for the bond we share,” the professional polo player wrote below a photo of him and Harry standing and laughing together. “Here’s to many more laughs, memories and good times ahead. Love you.”
The shot showed the friends wearing green Los Padres polo team jerseys with white riding breeches, and the photo may have been taken after their polo match at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club in May 2022, where Meghan Markle supported her husband on the sidelines. Prince Harry joined the Los Padres polo team after he and Meghan stepped back from their royal roles in the U.K. in 2020 and settled in her home state of California.
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Figueras wasn’t the only one to wish the Duke of Sussex a happy 40th birthday — King Charles and Prince William sent surprise social media wishes, as well. The messages were unexpected, as public birthday wishes are usually reserved for working royals, though are sometimes made for milestone birthdays. In light of the rift between Harry and his brother William, as well as his strained relationship with their father, some interpreted these first birthday messages in years as a possible olive branch.
Harry and Figueras, 47, have competed as teammates on Los Padres, which means “the fathers” or “parents” in Spanish, though their friendship goes back much further than Harry’s move to California in 2020. The two met and instantly clicked at a 2007 charity match benefiting Sentebale, the charity Harry co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 to help young people affected by poverty, inequality and HIV/AIDS in southern Africa. Figueras previously told PEOPLE that they bonded over their love for horses and what they mean to the sport.
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Nacho Figueras and Prince Harry at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge on April 12, 2024 in Wellington, Florida.
“We both love horses, polo, the thrill of competition, the speed with which the game is played and the adrenaline,” Figueras told PEOPLE about his relationship with Harry at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge charity match in Wellington, Florida in April. “We love and respect the beauty of these animals and the amazing ingredients that this sport offers.”
The pro rider emphasized that his respect for Harry deepened as he saw the amount of time and work he puts into the sport and competing for charity.
“I love that he really cares and dedicates himself to polo by training regularly and keeping up with his riding, then puts it to good causes,” Figueras told PEOPLE.
ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty
Prince Harry and Nacho Figueras at the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup in Singapore on Aug. 12, 2023.
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The Argentinian athlete and model later signed on as an ambassador for Sentebale, and has saddled up with the Duke of Sussex for the charitable Sentebale Polo Cup, the organization’s annual flagship fundraiser, around the world in the years since.
Figueras and Harry rode in the Royal Salute Polo Challenge benefitting Sentebale in the spring, and their wives Delfina Blaquier and Meghan supported them on the sidelines. Though the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s children Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3, didn’t tag along, the couple’s connection with the family was evident as they greeted Figueras and Blaquier’s daughter Alba, one of their four children, with warm hugs.
Jason Koerner/Getty
Nacho Figueras, Delfina Blaquier, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge on April 12, 2024 in Wellington, Florida.
“Prince Harry is doing very well, and I admire how he has fully embraced fatherhood over the past couple of years,” Figueras told PEOPLE about how Harry is thriving in his current chapter. The equestrian said that his friend “loves being a dad” to Archie and Lilibet, adding, “He loves parenthood. I admire him so much as a parent.”
“He has a great and supportive wife in Meghan Markle,” Figueras added.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, and Blaquier, a photographer and influencer, seem to have developed a bond of their own, and Blaquier was among the first to post photos of the first product from Meghan’s budding lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. Blaquier, 43, revealed the product — strawberry jam! — on social media in April, which happened to be after the Royal Salute Polo Challenge.
Delfina Blaquier/Instagram
Delfina Blauqier’s Instagram Stories.
“Strawberry 🍓jam makes me happy,” she captioned the shot on her Instagram Stories, sharing a close photo of the jar label handwritten in Meghan’s calligraphy. “And I ❤️your jam @americanrivieraorchard,” she said.
Her husband also posted on Instagram about the strawberry jam around the same time, opening the carousel with a picture of him, Harry and Meghan together at the April charity match. In June, Figueras appeared to reveal the next upcoming products from American Riviera Orchard — raspberry jam and dog treats.
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The Duchess of Sussex launched the lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard with a website and Instagram page in March, and its name nods to the Santa Barbara, California town where she lives with her family.
A source previously told PEOPLE that Meghan’s new venture “will reflect everything that she loves — family, cooking, entertaining and home décor.”
“Meghan finds the name American Riviera Orchard perfect. It feels authentic to her. She can’t wait for the website to launch,” the insider said. “She is excited about her latest, personal venture. This is something she’s been wanting to do for a while. She is excited to share her style and things that she loves.”
As for Prince Harry, he too has a new venture coming soon — and it has to do with the sport both he and Figueras love. On Sept. 9, Netflix announced that Harry’s docuseries POLOwould premiere on the streaming service in December, and that it “follows elite global players and offers an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the faced-paced world of the sport,” Netflix said in a statement shared to X.
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