Prince Harry's Pal Heaps Praises On Meghan Markle; Calls Her 'Amazing Teammate'

Prince Harry's longtime friend Ignacio "Nacho" Figueras had nothing but "amazing" things to say about the Duchess of Sussex.

"Delfi [Figuera's wife] and I have known Harry for a very long time. I know firsthand how much he wanted to have a family. He found an amazing teammate, or partner, in Meghan. They love each other very much; their children are lovely," Figueras, who played alongside the 37-year-old Duke of Sussex at the Sentebale Polo Cup in Colorado on Thursday, exclusively told People.

The 45-year-old world-famous polo player also revealed that Prince Harry was just "enjoying life" as a husband to wife Meghan Markle, 41, and a father to his two children — 3-year-old son Archie Harrison and 1-year-old daughter Lilibet Diana.

Before the highly anticipated charity event at the Aspen Valley Polo Club, Prince Harry and Figueras competed together as members of the Los Padres team at the Santa Barbara Polo Club.

"Being able to be with them for the last two months only made me happier, seeing them be a lovely family with their kids and their dogs, and that's really what he always wanted," he shared. "I'm very happy for them."

Figueras and Prince Harry have gone a long way since meeting at a charity match over 15 years ago for the organization the royal founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho back in 2006, named Sentebale. The organization aims to help children in Africa gravely affected by "poverty, inequality, HIV/AIDS and the recently COVID-19," according to People.

The Argentine polo player shared that after witnessing Prince Harry's passion for the organization, he was sure the royal was "committed and cared" about its cause.

While the two have known each other for some time, it was during this season of the Los Padres team that they got to bond and become closer, and Figueras even called it a "dream come true."

"Being able to play with him for two months in a real competition with the Los Padres team was a dream come true for me, and maybe for him too, we should ask him," Figueras said.

He continued, "We got to spend a lot of time together on the field, off the field with our families. We really bonded more than we've ever bonded before, being able to be with him so much."

The professional athlete also praised Prince Harry's polo skills and felt "honored to be his teammate."

After the charity match on Thursday, Figueras shared a heartwarming tribute to his good friend on Instagram, writing, "What a blessing to be able to do what you love, with the people you love while helping others. Proud of the support we are able to give the young people of Lesotho and Botswana to feel empowered, healthy, resilient, and able to thrive," alongside a photo of the two riding horses.

The Duchess of Sussex was reportedly not present during the event. But she was definitely not forgotten as Figueras' wife Delfina Blaquier also shared a photo on Instagram that featured Prince Harry and Markle, noting at the end of the caption that she misses the duchess.